Vintage Airplane - Jun 2007

GEOFF ROBISON
PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

AirVenture's Type Club Experience

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is practi­
cally right around the corner now, and
it's shaping up to be another real win­
ner of a show for 2007. I often wonder
just how many of our loyal members
who read this magazine every month
have yet to make it to Oshkosh for the
world's greatest aviation event. If you
are one of these individuals, I really
must ask: "What are you waiting for?"
Each year it amazes me how this
event continues to attract so many
never-seen-before, beautifully restored
aircraft and a display of virtually every
flying gizmo known to man, all high­
lighted by many new and interesting
aviation technologies.
One of the many activities around
the VAA area during the annual EAA
convention is the very active and popu­
lar type club aircraft parking/camping
area . This large group of very dedicated
individuals goes to great pains to re­
store, maintain, and operate many dif­
ferent vintage-specific aircraft types. As
you can imagine, throughout the often­
lengthy restoration of these aircraft, re­
lationships are certain to be built with
the leadership and representatives of the
many varied type clubs that have devel­
oped and flourished over many years.
So when we first began offering the
type clubs the opportunity to park and
camp together at Oshkosh, it was an
immediate hit. We have an "embarrass­
ment of riches" in that regard. So many
great aircraft and clubs, with a finite
amount of space.
For the club member, what a great
opportunity to bring your restored air­
craft to Oshkosh, and park it among
dozens of other similar aircraft. Chances
are excellent that you will go home with
at least a half dozen new ideas about en­

hancements or modifications for your
own flying machine. Each year at Osh­
kosh we are able to highlight only a few
aircraft types. This year we are hosting
three specific groups:
.The International Stinson Club
will be conducting a "mass arrival" on
Sunday, July 22, at 9:30 a.m . with 50
vintage Stinsons.
• The Beechcraft owners are celebrat­
ing the anniversaries of both the Beech
and the Bonanza with a type club
group of more than 20 vintage Beech­
craft aircraft.
• We are also hosting a group of
more than 20 Pi per Comanches to
round out the field of type club air­
craft for the 2007 event.
The type club parking/camping area
always seems to be very popular, and
has proven to be successful and fulfill­
ing for not only those of us who plan
and implement this initiative, but es­
pecially for the members and enthusi­
asts who take the opportunity to walk
among these aircraft and visit with their
proud owners. See for yourself the kind
of fun and camaraderie enjoyed by par­
ticipating in this wonderful activity.
I would be remiss here if I failed to
give proper recognition to the many
members of the Vintage Parking &
Flightline Safety Committee and their
valued volunteers for their efforts in
making this initiative so safe and suc­
cessful each and every year. I specifically
like to recognize the extensive efforts
of Tim Fox, who during the off-season
takes on all of the pre-planning efforts
that are critical to the success of this im­
portant Vintage initiative. Thanks, Tim!
The type club parking and camping area
can be found on the flight line at rows
74W through 84W (on the west side of

the main north-south pavement, Wit­
tman Road), which is just north of the
ultralight area of operations.
I have one other good-news item to
share with the membership this month.
During the spring board meeting, your
Vintage Aircraft Association board of di­
rectors voted to further extend the eli­
gible years of the Contemporary class of
vintage aircraft to those aircraft manufac­
tured on or before December 31, 1970.
Now, I fully understand and recog­
nize the fact that maybe not all of the
membership will embrace the news of
this enhancement of the Contempo­
rary category, but I would remind every­
body it wasn't all that long ago that we
heard the grumbling about all of those
postwar aircraft being parked among
the antiques at Rockford. You remem­
ber them-we call them "classics."
This initiative was actually brought
to the Vintage boardroom by EAA's Vin­
tage Aircraft Association judges as a re­
sult of continuous contacts from the
owners of these aircraft who wish to not
only engage themselves in the Vintage
movement, but also to have their air­
craft judged at Oshkosh each year. So,
please join me in welcoming these lat­
est additions to the f1ightline at Osh­
kosh this year.
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, the
world's greatest aviation celebration, is
July 23-29,2007.
VAA is about participation: Be a
member! Be a volunteer! Be there!
Let's all pull in the same direction for
the good of aviation.
Remember, we are better together.

Join us'ndA~

N E
VOL. 35, NO.6

2007

J u

E

CO N TE NTS
IFe

Straight & Level
AirVenture's Type Club Experience
by Geoff Robison

2

News

4

Sun 'n Fun 2007

11

Just "Plane" Tommy

Th e story of the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation

Part II
j

by Al Kelch

16

The Poulton Family's Chief

Aeronca IlBC

by Budd Davisson


22

The Birth of Taylorcraft

Creating a classic design

by Chester L. Peek, Ph. D


28

Mystery Plan e Extra

The Butler Manufacturing Co.

NL- 13 biplane

by Wesley Smith


33

Pass It to Buck

Th e very beginning of airworthiness

certificates, pilot certificates

by Buck Hilbert


36

Mystery Plan e

by H.G. Frautschy


38

Calendar

39

Classified Ads

COVERS
FRONT COVER: Danny Poulton of Belton, South Carolina restored this Aeronca with two personal
goals in mind . The first find a project that fit his goals and skill levels; for more on his significant
personal achievement, see Budd Davisson's article starting on page 16. EAA photo Bonnie Kratz,
our photo pilot was Bruce Moore. Special thanks to Pau l Fertitta of SI. August ine Rorida for the use
of his Piper Lance photo plane.
BACK COVER: John Van Surdam 's 1934 Waco YKC is covered in the morning dew as another day
starts at Sun 'n Fun. Our coverage of the annual event starts on page 4 .

STAFF

EAA Publisher
Director of EAA Publications
Executive Director/Editor
Executive Assistant
Ma naging Editor
News Edi tor
Photography
Advertising Coordinator
Classified Ad Coordinator
Copy Editor
Director of Advertising

Tom Poberezny
David Hi pschman
H.G. Frau tschy
Jillian Rooker
Kathleen Witman
Ric Reynolds
Jim Koepnick
Bonnie Kratz
Sue Anderson
Daphene VanH ullum
Colleen Walsh
Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives:
Nort heast: Allen Murray
Phone 856-229-7180, FAX 856-229-7258, e-mail: a/lelllllllrrayf!!'rllillrisprillg.com
Southeast: Chester Baumga rtner
Phone 727-532-4640, FA X 727-532-4630, o-mail: cbllllllli J i @lllillriSprillg.COIII
Central: Todd Reese
I'hone 800-444-9932, FAX 816-741-6458, e-mail: [email protected]
Mountain & Pacific: John Gibson
Phone 916-784-9593, e-mail: [email protected]

Europe: Willi Tacke
Phono +498969340213, FAX +498969340214, e- mail: [email protected]

VI NTAGE AI RPLAN E

Staggerwing Museum
Adopts New Name
The board of trustees of the Stag­
gerwing Museum Foundation Inc.
has changed the name of its museum
to the Beechcraft Heritage Museum.
"The new name more accurately re­
flects the museum's commitment to
preserving the rich history of Beech­
craft as well as fostering aviation ed­
ucation," said Michael Greenblatt,
president of the foundation .
Beech Aircraft Company built their
first aircraft in 1932, and that very
airplane is now the centerpiece of the
museum. Officially designated the
Beechcraft Model 17R-l, this distinc­
tively original and beautiful aircraft
design became affectionately known
as the "Staggerwing."
The foundation expanded in 1995
by adding the Twin Beech 18 Soci­
ety division. The museum's footprint
was increased in 1997 by the dedica­
tion of the Twin Beech 18 Hangar. On
display is one of only three existing
prewar examples of the Beechcraft
Model 18 Twin Beech.
In 2001, this facility was enlarged
and rededicated as the Alton E.
"Chuck" Cianchette Hangar. The Bo­
nanza/Baron Museum division was
launched in 2003, with the first phase
of hangar construction dedicated in
2004, and the second phase in 2006.
This hangar houses two of the old­
est 1947 Beechcraft Model 35 Bonan­
zas, the first Model 55 Baron built in
1960, and the one-fifth scale original
Bonanza wind tunnel models from
1945. The Beechcraft Heritage Mu­
seum is planning a special celebration
during its annual convention October
10-14, as 2007 marks the 75th anni­
versary of the founding of the Beech
Aircraft Company and the produc­
tion of the Staggerwing, the 70th an­
niversary of the Twin Beech, and the
2

JUNE 2007

Stinsons in Type Club Parking
In addition to the two other clubs selected for parking in the Type Club parking
area, there will again be a gaggle of Stinsons to behold in this special area created
in the Vintage Showplane parking area. Type Club parking is just south of the EAA
Volunteer Emergency Aircraft Repair shack, just west of Wittman Road, the main
north-south road on the convention grounds.

60th anniversary of the Bonanza. All
Beechcraft and aviation enthusiasts
are invited to attend. Event informa­
tion is available on its website at www.
BeechcraftHeritageMuseum.org.
The Beechcraft Heritage Museum
is open to the general public and is
located 70 miles southeast of Nash­
ville, Tennessee, at the Tullahoma Re­
gional Airport (THA).

EAA AirVenture Awards
Ceremonies to Change in 2007
In past years, all of the coveted EAA
AirVenture Lindy aircraft awards (ex­
cept for Warbirds) were presented to­
gether on AirVenture Saturday night
at Theater in the Woods, but that's
going to change in 2007. Rotorcraft,
Ultralights, Homebuilts, Seaplanes,
and Vintage awards will be presented
at individual ceremonies to allow re­
cipients to receive their honors at
events attended by their peers.
Here is the new schedule of awards
presentations for EAA AirVenture Os­
hkosh 2007. (Event times will be an­
nounced on www.AirVenture.org as
plans are confirmed.)
• Rotorcraft awards-Theater in the

Woods on Friday evening, July 27.
• Ultralight awards-Saturday eve­
ning, July 28, during the annual Ul­
tralight party at the Nature Center.
• Homebuilt aircraft awards-Sat­
urday evening, July 28, at a Honda
Motorcycles Forums Plaza location to
be determined.
• Seaplane aircraft awards--during
the annual Watermelon Social dinner
on Saturday evening, July 28, at the
EAA Seaplane Base.
• Vintage aircraft awards-Satur­
day evening (7-8 p.m.), July 28, at
Theater in the Woods.
The EAA Warbirds of America will
continue to present its AirVenture
awards on Saturday evening in the EAA
AirVenture Museum's Eagle Hangar.
For more about the new award cer­
emonies, listen to the EAA AvCast at
www.EAA.org/podcast, featuring H.G.
Frautschy, executive director of EAA's
Vintage Aircraft Association, discuss­
ing the changes.

EAA AirVenture Website Has
What You're Looking For
Find out what you need to know
about The World's Greatest Avia­

tion Celebration at www.A irVenture.
org. This year's special events and at­
tractions, forums and workshops, ac­
commodations, Osh kosh area travel
information, and more are all a few
clicks away.
Also check out our biweekly EAA
AvCasts, www.EAA .orglpodcast, for a
collection of audio presentations fea­
turing aviation people, events and is­
sues, and EAA AirVenture updates.

And the Winner Is ... Top Gun!
Paramou nt Pictures' blockbu ster
1986 movie Top Gun received th e
most votes in the Great est Aviation
Movie of All Time poll conducted on
the EAA AirVenture website from Feb­
ruary I -May 2. The story of naval avi­
ator Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, played
by EAAer Tom Cruise, received 20.47
percent of the total votes cast. The
1949 film Twelve O'Clock High placed
second in the balloting with 17.4 per­
cent, while Memphis Belle (1990) gar­
nered 12.16 percent.
Other films in the fi n al poll in­
cluded Battle of Britain (1969), 11.78
percent; Spirit of st. Louis (1957) and
The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), each
with 8.59 percent; Those Magnificent
Men in Th eir Flying Machines (1965),
7.15 percent; The Flight of the Phoenix
(1965), 5.18 percent; and The High
and the Mighty (1954), 4.08 percent.
During EAA AirVenture Osh kosh
2007, attendees can watch Top Gun,
which also stars Kelly McGillis, Va l
Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, and Tom
Skerritt, on the large, outdoor screen
at the EAA Fly-In Theater, presented
by Ford Motor Company and Eclipse
Aviation. (Date to be anno u nced
soon at www.AirVenture.org.)
Other movies to be shown this year
at the EAA Fly-In Theater incl ude:
Spirit of st. Louis, Flying Tigers, Wings,
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Apollo 13,
and Twelve O'Clock High
The EAA Fly-In Theater is located
adjacent to EAA's Camp Sch oller and
is open each evening (weather permit­
ting) from Sunday, July 22, through
Saturday, July 28. The walk-in theater
is reminiscent of the famo us drive­
in theaters of the past , comp lete
with popcorn! Th ere is no admission

We were saddened to hear of the
deaths of Doug and Sharon 8eechel
of Cotter, Arkansas , on April 22.
Doug and Sharon perished in the
crash of their Murphy Moose, as
they attempted to land at their home
airport next to the White River.
A longtime VAA member, Doug
was active in both vintage and
homebuilt aircraft circles and en­
joyed flying his Moose and Aeronca
Champ. Always ready with a gleam
in his eye and an offer of something
cool to drink , he and Sharon were
gracious hosts to the many guests
who stopped by the Moose at a fly­
in . We 'll miss them greatly.

charge fo r the theater, which is open
to all AirVe ntu re gu ests. Each eve­
nin g's sh ow begins at approximately
8:30 p.m ., with an in trod uction by
a celebrity presenter, fo llowed by a
classic aviation fi lm at about 9 p .m .,
shown on a pro jection screen mea­
suring five stories high .
EAA thanks everyon e wh o voted,
both in the initial Greatest Aviation
Movie nomin ations and in the fina l
web poll.

EAA Praises FAA Proposal
to Extend Duration of Ainnen
Medical Certificates
The FAA plans to extend the dura­
tion of third-class medical certificates
from three years to five years and first­
class medicals from six mont hs to a
year for pilots under age 40. This action
will help to make more resources avail­
able for oth er pressing medical certi­
fication processes, such as th ird-class
special issuance medical certificates.
Marion Blakey first mentioned the

proposa l last year during her "Meet
th e Ad minist ra t or" session at EAA
AirVenture. EAA, whose Aeromedical
Advisory Council works continually
with the FAA to remove medical certi­
fication barriers, has been highly sup­
portive of this effort.
"Period ic medica l exam ination
is of certain value, but no t many
sign ificant conditions are discov­
e red on ro utine examinations on
pil o ts below age 40," said Cou ncil
Cha irman Dr. Jack Hastings. "This
cha n ge wi ll hopefu ll y allow the
Aerom edical Certification Division
to d evo t e grea t er time and atten ­
t io n t o prob lem aeromedica l cer­
tificati ons and achieve the goal of
tim ely decisions."
FAA estimates that 175,000 fewer
fi rst class certifica t es and 90,000
fewer third-class certificates would be
renewed over 10 years, resulting in a
cost savings to airmen estimated at
$85 million.

EAA Urges Aircraft Buyers
to Make Sure Autofuel STCs
Are Legit
EAA has learned of severa l recent
in stances where aircraft sellers have
attempted to pass their aircraft off as
having an autofue l supp lementary
type certificate (STC) without the re­
quired documentation.
EAA and Peterson Aviation are the
only organ izations that have issued
autofuel STCs and placards since the
program began in the early 1980s.
EAA advises would-be aircraft buyers
to make sure any aircraft purported to
have an autofuel STC indeed has one.
Contact Petersen Aviation through
www.AutoFueISTC.com. e-mail EAA at
[email protected], or call 920-426-4843
to see if the records are on fi le. Also,
check to see if the aircraft has placards
on the wings next to the fuel inlets. If
there are no placards, it's possible that
someone fraudulently used a copy of
an STC or has misrepresented the air­
craft to a potential buyer.
An autofuel STC can save you a lot
of money over the years and can add
to the value of your aircraft when you
want to sell.
continued on page 32
VINTA GE AIRPLANE

3

The Sun 'n Fun Fly-In is a great way to shake off the winter blahs and jumpstart the summer flying sea­
son. If you 're a northerner like I am, by the time baseball season starts, you're more than ready to peel off
a sweatshirt or two and fly in shirtsleeves. Sun 'n Fun is all about that attitude; fly in, relax, enjoy visiting
with your friends , and soak in a good dose of "Vitamin Av, " vitamin Aviation, that is.
The vintage aircraft area , overseen by the fine folks of VAA Chapter 1, was filled with a mix of familiar alu­
minum and tube and fabric friends , as well as a basket full of one-of-a kind airplanes, including a rare Travel
Air lOB and Saab 91 Safir. Tucked back the corner near the trees was an equally rare Bucker Bestmann ,
a pretty low-wing German training aircraft. And how about Dean Tilton who along with his friends Dusty and
Todd Rhode have not one but two of the rare Arrow Sport biplanes! Cap off the week with a fine picnic on
the lawn in front of the Vint age Aircraft Headquarters, and you have the makings of a great week to start
the 2007 fly-in season. Let's see both the people and airplanes we enjoyed seeing during Sun 'n Fun 2007.

The seaplane base moved this year from the city park to a point on the southwest side of lake Parker. The
new location gave the spectators outstanding views of the take-off and spot landing competitions, including
this takeoff drag race between a pair of SeaBees. Despite what you see here, eventually the yellow Seabee,
flown by Bill Bardin, won this round.
4

JUNE 2007

Lew lIakd's Aeronca 7AC ChcInp has been neatly restored with His custom color
scheme. Lew's Champ took home the top Classic hp category (0-100 hp) award.
Idon't know of too many people who don't subconsciously hold their
breath each time they see this done! Thankfully, the three professionals
performing this ac~ John Mohr in the Stearman, Todd Green (the stuotman)
and Roger Buis, Otto the helicopter's pilo~ perform this act regularly, and
are exceptionally proficient The "Untied Team" performed their act during
the daily air show.
RIGHT: Basically restored by Richard Blazer, Tullahoma,
Tennessee, this Taylorcraft's new owner, Dick Lawrence of
Pensacola, Florida has been busy tweaking this 1946 model.
Dick's Taylorcraft was selected as one of the top category award
winners at Sun nFun. Tom Ramsey, Julie~ Tennessee lost
his hangar and sold the restored Taylorcrafl
H.G. FRAUTSCHY

The Arrow Sport biplane is one of the few open­
cockpit airplanes built with side-by-side seating, and
few of this make remain. But here are two of them,
restored by Dean lilton and his wife Christine (far
right). From left to righ~ we have the owners of the
newest Arrow Sport restoration, NC9327, Todd, Willie
and Dusty Rhode, with the Rhode's grandson Kyle in
the cockpit

LEFT: Now here's asound you don't hear too often in the vintage parking area---piper Stan Berry of Williston,
Florida serenaded us and instantly drew an appreciative crowd as he played while the sun set below the trees.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

5

The pudgy litHe Stinson 10 may be abit on the rare side, but irs just so cute you can't help stop
and watch as it taxis by. This example is owned by Julian Thomas of NiceviHe, Rorida.

Good thing those bullet holes are painted on!

Chuck Story brought this nice post-war Aeronca llAC Chief mounted on apair of Edo 1400 floats.
Chuck's from Haslett, Michigan.

Dan Tubbs' Taylorcraft looks as crisp and clean as a southern gentleman's summer white seersucker suil
Dan hailsfrom Altamont,Tennessee.
6

JUNE 2007

H.G. FRAUTSCHY PHOTOS

Left Jeff and Suzette Deaton in the proud owners of this
outstanding customized 1954 BeedJcraft Bonanza. Always among
the top airplanes at any event in which it is shown, the Beech
won the top Classic category prize at this year's Sun 'n FIHI. Jeff
and Suzette brought their son Blake, age 5, along for his first
camping Sun 'n fun adventure, where he channed us all.

BELOW: One of the very rare airplanes on display duro
ing this year's kick off to the fly-in season was this Czech­
buiH Bucker Bul8l Bestmann, owned and flown by Richard
Epton of Brooks, Georgia. Winner of the Most Unique Clas­
sic aircraft award, we'll have afeature story on this 1949
low-wing trainer in afuture issue of V'mtage Airplane.

Willie Ropp, now 95
years young, (inset) re­
stored this 1933 Travel Air
CW seaplane nearly two de­
cades ago, and it's still going
strong. Based at Brown's
Seaplane Base in Winter
Haven, Rorida, it was flown
during the seaplane fly-in by
Willie's daughter Belle.

I

H.G. FRAUTSCHY PHOTOS

Sometimes you just need to use the transportation you have to get
your newfound treasures back to your car!

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

7

The Grand Champion Antique award was presented to Less Whittlesley's 1939 Lockheed 12A Electra Jr, which was also the Antique Grand Champion at last year's
AirVenture Oshkosh 2006.

RIGHT: Unless you're awor1d traveler who's been to
Europe, it's unlikely you've ever actually seen the Saab
Safir 91, alow-wing trainer built by the automobile!air­
craft manufacturer. Lars De Jounge, who now hails from
Vero Beach, Florida, has lovingly restored this example,
which was presented with an Outstanding in Type award.
Lars tells us he plans on bringing the airplane to EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh 2007.

One more time? The Luscombe Silvaire Aircraft Company (also known as Renaissance Aircraft) is now located on the Historic Flabob Airport in Riverside, Califor­
nia. The company is planning to produce the venerable Luscombe Silvaire as their model LSA-8, powered by the newly available Continental 0-200 engine.

www.luscombe·silvaire.com/
8

JUN E 2007

Some folks think the Franklin 6A4-165-B3 engine was afactory option at the Aeronca factory
for the 15AC Sedan; it was no~ as the original STC was issued to Maine Air Service. It certainly
adds just alitHe more "oomph" to the performance of this fine 4-place airplane, as owner Don
Wilson can attesl Wilson's recent beautiful restoration, which features seaplane door conversions
and the very handy STC'd fueling steps supplied by Burl's Aircraft Rebuild of Chugiak, Alaska. Burl
holds the Type Certificate for the Sedan, and has been steadily adding to the available parts list
_ _ _~~~_ _ _~........ for the Sedan.

H.G. FRAUTSCHY PHOTOS

RIGHT: William Sharpe from nearby
Tampa, Florida brought his 1962 Mooney
M20C over to Sun nFun for aday or so.

Even an altercation with arunway logging truck couldn't keep restorer/
pilot Jeff Smith of Asheboro, North Carolina from Sun nFun with his bril·
liant restoration of his 125 hp Temco Globe Swift. First purchased by Smith in
1996, he's carefully been restoring and polishing the essentially stock air·
plane for the past decade, creating abeautiful showplane.

Gorgeous weather was the norm for nearly every day during this year's Sun nFun,
and the annual picnic for the Vintage Aircraft area, hosted by VAA Chapter 1(Florida
Sport Aviation Antique and Classic Association-FSAACA) is always abig hit with the
Vintage crowd, as you can see by the nearly standing·room only crowd.
VINTAG E AIRPLANE

9

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One of tile Inmdreds of volunteers on hand to help put on tile annual spring
migration to Florida, Bill Wedlund of Jacksonville, Florida gives the stop signal to
Kennit Sutton of Naples, Florida as Kennit taxis in with his turbine DeHavilland
Beaver conversion.

Ron Haynes brought his lovely Piper Cub to Sun nFun from New Port Richey,
Florida. Parked near the emergency aircraft repair building (that's afork lift behind
the Cub), Ron's Cub looked like just the ticket for enjoying the Florida air with the
window and door open.

Bill Scott of Springhill, Florida,
restored his Stinson 108-3 with no
intentions of selling it but the new
owner, Jim Gibson from Polk City,
FL worked on him for several years
before he finally gave in_

Kent Pietsch's 1942 S-l
Interstate Cadet is flown in
airshows all over the world
(in January he flew in the AI
Ain Aerobatic Show at Abu
Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
and is now decorated in the
colors of his new sponsor,
Jelly Belly jellybeans.

10

JUNE 2007

An earty Model TA hydro in the air.
Note the tubular wing tip floats.

The story of the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation

Part II

BY AL K ELCH

PHOTOS FROM THE WILLIAM

T.

THOMAS, JR. COLLECTION VIA ROBERT

Preface

1982-The following three-part article on the Thomas­
Morse Aircraft Corp., although extensively edited and further
researched by me, should be credited to Robert C. Elliott of
Daytona Beach, Florida, who sought out William T. Thomas
Ir., still living in Daytona Beach. Mr. Thomas generously
shared pictures and recollections of his father plus some ma­
terial from the personal collections of Paul D. Wi/son, one of
the three original test pilots. Robert submitted to me fresh ma­
terial on the earlier portions of the Thomas airplane venture.
On researching several older articles, I zeroed in on a wonderful
In 1913-1914 the attention of the
Thomas Aeroplane Company was
turned to the development of flying
boats, following the similar course of
Glenn Curtiss. The first machine was
quite crude, with a wooden hull and
the top deck covered with canvas,
powered with a six-cylinder 90-hp

ELLIOTT


two-part story in two 1960 issues of American Airman, ex­
tensively researched by Frank Strand with a great deal oforigi­
nal contact with William Thomas Sr.
Frank had permission to use all ofthe material he had gath­
ered to put together one more article specially tailored for Vin­
tage Airplane magazine on the Tommy-Morse Scout of World
War I fame. For the real Tommy buffs, it would pay to seek out
his extensive two-part story in the American Airman for lune
and luly 1960. Frank also did Profile No. 68 published by Pro­
file Publications Ltd., P.O. Box 26, 1A North St., Leatherhead,
Surrey, England.

Austro-Daimler engine. The develop­
ment of this phase of Thomas flying
boats went through some sleek ma­
hogany-hulled versions on to develop
the first metal-hulled hydroplane in
America. Along with the flying boats,
several interesting types developed,
including a two-place version of the
REPRINTED FROM

G.

Vintage Airplane AUGUST

same airplane, both powered by 90­
hp Austro-Daimler engines. In ad­
dition, a single-place monoplane,
reminiscent of the Bleriot, was flown
using a 40-hp Maxi-motor. This
Thomas monoplane proved unsuit­
able for exhibition work.
It was about this time another Mr.

1982

VI NTAGE AIRPLANE

11

An early Thomas tractor hydroplane
with single float and wing tip floats.

Riglrt-side view of a 1916 hydroplane,
two-place Model B-3, Austro-Daimler
powered.

A much earlier Thomas hydroplane
with a 90-hp Austro-Daimler engine.
The forward section of the hull had a
fabric cover to furnish protection from
the spray.

With a 90-hp Austro Austro-Daim­
ler engine, this metal-hulled Thomas
hydroplane's fuel tank was located on
top of a wing.

~

".
,

12

,

.

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J U NE 2007

"

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:

.

r . . -9­

J'

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i. . "!, .. ,~;.

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,'r"

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".....

"Two Guns White Cap," chief of the
Blackfoot Indians, with pilot Ralph
Brown. W.T. Thomas, at right. The In·
dian brought the whole tribal family to
witness the flight. Once off the water,
the chief let out a war whoop to let ev·
eryone know he was quite pleased.
The Brindley Street plant in Ithaca,
New York, about 1915, where the T·2
and D·2 tractor planes were built.

Thomas was due to be added to the
company. This gentleman had no
relation to the founders of the com­
pany, but he was destined to change
and influence the company's direc­
tion substantially. Mr. B. Douglas
Thomas became the chief engineer
and airplane designer. He had an ex­
cellent aircraft background, having
previously worked as assistant air­
craft deSigner for Vickers Ltd . and,
later, Sopwith Aviation. Through sim­
ilar circumstance, he also worked for
Glenn Curtiss, where he assisted in
designing the famous Curtiss Model J
tractor and the famous Jenny. He also
took part with Lt. Porte in designing
the America, the first multiple-engine
flying boat, built for the purpose of
transatlantic flight.
Upon being employed by the
Thomas Bros. Airplane Co., B. Doug­
las Thomas designed its first success­
ful tractor biplane. The model was
deSignated T-2 and was similar to the
Model J Curtiss, except for the addiMorris Chain Co., Ithaca, New York,
a subsidiary of Borg·Warner, where
W.T. Thomas eventually merged his
interests. Mr. Morris owned control·
ling interest, with W.T. Thomas as
vice president.
VINTAGE AIRPL A NE

13

The board room group dis­
cussing aircraft business.
Left to right: Harold Bliss,
B.D. Thomas, GeorgeAbel,
Jerome Freed, Mr. Morris,
W. T. Thomas, Raymond
Ware. B.D. Thomas was no
relation to W.T. Thomas.

Employees of the Thomas
Brothers Aeroplane Co.,
Ithaca, New York, Brindley
Street plant.

H might be Frank Burnside standing beside the
large trainer at the Thomas
School of Aviation, near
Hhaca, New York. Note
that the ailerons were em­
ployed up top wing only. Ex­
haust stacks rose from the
top of the engine and were
attached to pipe, which
wrapped around both sides
of the fuselage. W.T. Thomas
flying school was the first
Board of Regents Chartered
Aviation School in New York
State. This plane was possi­
bly a Model 0.2.
14

JUNE 2007

Side profile of an assem­
bled Thomas Aero Motor.
The hand crank was pre­
ferred to swinging the prop
on a geared ltwo-to-one)
engine. Note the individual
cylinder primers beside
spark plugs.

tion of two nose skids and
the 90-hp Austro-Daimler
engine. It had a top speed
of 83 mph and could climb
3,800 feet in 10 minutes,
carrying a l,OOO-pound
load. The performance of
this machine added to the
prestige of the company's
having hired a new de­
Signer, and resulted in an
order from the British Ad­
miralty for 24 Model T-2
airplanes, its first sizable
order.
Wit h two pre v i 0 u s One of 15 Model SH-4 hydroplanes built by Thomas-Morse for the U.S. Navy in about 1916. It
moves from Hornell, New was powered with a 149-hp Sturtevant engine.
York and Bath, New York,
the brothers looked for a new loca­ signed and built a 135-hp geared commissioned in the Royal Flying
tion in which to expand. Ithaca, New engine with the help of designers Corps. This brought a number of pi­
York, at the southern end of Cayuga GeorgeAbel and Harold Bliss, also two lots to the shores of Cayuga Lake as
Lake was a natural choice, with flat of the founders of this new division. World War I gained intensity.
fields for takeoff and landing, and a In 1915 two seaplanes, designated
The expansion and all of the activi­
40-mile-long lake, constituting an SH-4 and SH-5, were built for the ties had put considerable financial strain
ideal seaplane or flying boat test area. Navy, and the D-5 tractor plane was on the Thomas companies. A refinanc­
This, coupled with the cold-weather developed for the Signal Corps. Fur­ ing was accomplished by merging the
ability to fly from the ice, resulted in ther development in 1916 resulted in airplane and engine division with the
production of the SH-4 seaplane, and flying school, then merging with the
an ideal location.
Morse Chain Co. of Ithaca, New York.
Shortly after the move to Ithaca, IS were built for the U.S. Navy.
B.D. Thomas designed a new model,
With the prestige of not only an Thus the final name that is so well­
theD-2 tractor biplane. This was the airplane company, but also a mo­ known ... Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corp.
first use of the new Thomas enter­ tor company and a flying school, was born January 31 , 1917, in time to
prise, which was to build its own en­ The Thomas School of Aviation was build the famous World War I fighters.
To be concluded in next month's
gines. This auxiliary company, called picked by the Canadian government
.......
The Thomas Air Motor Co., had de- for pilots who would train to become issue of Vintage Airplane.
V I N T AGE AI RPLA NE

15

L0023Nnr

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SIAI!We:l uO~lnod all~


There seems to be two distinctly
different types of people in the world
of little airplanes: those who love and
adore the Aeronca Chief and those
who wouldn't know an Aeronca
Chief if they found it floating in their
coffee. It's not a question of liking
it or disliking it, because it's one of
those airplanes that has such a low
recognition factor that a relatively

small percentage of the pilot popu­
lation even knows it exists. In some
ways that's a good thing, because it
has helped keep the prices down for
those who want a Chief of their own.
One of those is Danny Poulton of Bel­
ton, South Carolina.
The Poulton's Chief is not your av­
erage Chief. We're all used to seeing
the 11AC (65 hp) or the 11CC (85 hp)

-the postwar Super Chief-but theirs
is an lIBe. We're not sure it ever car­
ried a name, but maybe we should
call it the Not-Quite-Super-Chief. It
came out of the factory in 1947 with a
C8S-8, which meant no provisions for
a starter. Not a normal one, anyway.
It had a McDowell starter, which was
a combination of ratcheted sprockets
and a lever that worked very much
like the pull starter on a lawn mower
with the cable going back to a han­
dle in the cockpit. By the time Danny
bought the airplane as a project in
Michigan, the starter had long since
disappeared. In fact, everything fire­
wall-forward had disappeared. But
we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Danny had owned a number of
airplanes in the past and, in fact, had
learned to fly while he was still in
high school.
"We had aviation on my mom's
side of the family," he says. "My un­
cle was an airframe and powerplant
mechanic (A&P) and a fUll -time cor­
porate pilot, and he encouraged me."
He progressed through a number
of airplanes, most of them some vari­
ation of the Piper PA-28 line, includ­
ing an Arrow, although a '63 C-l72
did follow him home one day.
"I met Donna and aviation be­
came part of our life," he says, "In
fact, we were married in a 421 Cessna
at five thousand feet over Anderson,
South Carolina."
Danny didn't get into vintage air­
planes until four years ago with the
Chief. It was a form of therapy, because
he was on a crusade to lose weight.
"I had let myself balloon up to 460
pounds, and if I was going to live, I had
to lose the weight. I had two sons, Dale
and JD, and a wonderful wife, and I
didn't want to lose all of that just be­
cause I was overweight. So, I started
looking for an airplane to rebuild as a
way to keep myself busy. We live on an
airpark and we had a great guy, Gene
Richburg, living just down the run­
way from us. He was 82 years old at the
time and knew everything there was to
know about rebuilding airplanes, and
he volunteered to help me."
So, Danny launched on two proj­
ects at the same time, both of them
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

Danny Poulton holds open the top cowl to reveal the Continental C-SS installation.
It appears Danny has decided not to trust his Chief mechanical fuel gauges, which
are known to be troublesome, and is using an old standby, the wire and cork float
gauge so common prior to World War II.

In keeping with the restrained nature of Danny's customized Chief, a few nice
touches, such as the upholstered side panels and polished control wheel caps,
brighten up the otherwise original-looking cabin. Look closely and you can see the
toe brake pedals on the pilot's side of the cockpit. Those pedals are seen only on
the UBC, UCC, and lSAC Sedan.

The tubular structure of the landing
gear is covered with an aluminum fair­
ing, leading to a nicely finished pair of
replica fiberglass wheelpants. The small
cable attached to the trailing edge of
the landing gear is a safety cable. It
was originally installed in case of a fail­
ure of the originally installed phenolic
piston within the oleo strut. Later, after
an airworthiness directive (47-20-02)
and Aeronca Service Helps and Hints
No. 12 required changing the pheno­
lic part to one made of aluminum, the
need for the cable was negated, but
most owners keep it, just in case!
monumental. The first was to lose
weight, and the second, to find a proj­
ect that fit his goals and skill levels.
"I didn't look long and actually
found the Chief on eBay. It belonged
to an A&P in Michigan, who had
started to rebuild it and then decided
to put it up for sale. I hadn't done
anything like this before, so I was re­
ally not sure of what I was doing, but
I hooked up my trailer and headed up
to Michigan to buy the Chief. That
was in July of 2003."
What he saw, when he got to Mich­
igan, was enough to encourage him,
so he loaded it up and brought it
back to South Carolina. As is always
the case, however, he wouldn't really
know what he had until he did a thor­
ough inventory back home.
The large dorsal fin on the llBC Chief
(also used on the UCC) makes identifi­
cation of the higher-horsepower Chiefs
a bit easier.

18

JUNE 2007

"When we unloaded at
home, Gene came over and
we spread the entire collec­
tion of stuff out to see what
was missing and what kind
of work was going to be
needed. In general, the air­
frame was actually in great
shape because the A&P
had already started work­
ing on it and had finished
the major compon e nts.
The wings were mor e or
less complete and fini sh ed,
and th e work was beautiful. About
all th ey ne eded were the leading
edges and to be covered.
"The fuselag e tubing had been
cleaned and painted, and most of the
fu selage wood was usable, too . Part
of th e airplane's condition is prob­
ably because it had only 400 hours
on it and had spent most of its life
stored inside somewhere. We don't
h ave much of the airplane 's history,
but you could see by looking at the
wood and steel that it hadn't been
left outside to rot like so many Chiefs
have been.
"When we were done inventorying
it, we found a lot of missing or unus­
able stuff that I hadn 't noticed when
picking it up . It had no tail wheel or
wing struts, and the doors were not
only the wrong doors, but were badly
crushed . There were no control yokes
and all of the logos were missing.
Same thing for all of the interior up­
holstery boards . Plus, there was es­
sentially nothing firewall-forward ./I
It's still easy for most of those who
h ave restored airplanes to remem­
ber what it was like in the days be­
fore co mputers . The dozens of trips
to fly-markets, the phone calls, and
the constant surveillance of Trade-a­
Plane were not only aggravating, but
added a huge amount of time to fin­
ishing the project. Danny came into
the Vintage world PC, post computer,
so he was able to take full advantage
of cyber searching for parts.
"Besid es buying the airplane on
eBay, that service proved to be a ter­
rific source for some of the rarer parts
I needed. Among other things, that's

What's in a Model Number?
By H.G . Frautschy
The differences between the llBC Chief and the llCC Super Chief are
tough to spot, but in today's sport pilot market, one distinction can spell the
difference between flying one and just owning one.
Both airplanes are powered by the Continental C85-8 , and both came
equipped with the rather clever McDowell starter. The McDowell was vilified by
some as being a cheap substitute for an electrical starter, but having had one
for years on my Super Chief, I'd have to say it's one of the neatest inventions
added to the postwar lightplane. If treated with respect and used in the way the
manufacturer intended , it worked perfectly. It did have one design weakness
that could have been easily solved , but it didn't last long enough on the market
to make it that far.
The McDowell was activated using a cable with a ball, swaged on the end.
Because of the way the ball and cable were retained in the starter's pulley
sheave, the cable would fray and then break just below the ball, or an overly
enthusiastic pull on the starter cable would pull the ball right off the end. If Mc­
Dowell had used a small fitting inside the sheeve to allow for a straight pull on
the cable (and if the cable had a ball and shank swaged fitting) , I'm convinced
the McDowell would have been much more popular.
It allowed for a lightweight starter to be installed on an airplane intended
to be flown by casual travelers who were interested in ease of use and safety.
It allowed my wife and her instructor, both petite women , to independently fly
the airplane without requiring a flip of the prop by someone else. As long as
the engine was in good tune and one could reasonably expect the airplane to
start when the impulse magneto fired, the McDowell was a great way to pul l
the prop through safely.
The 11BC and 11CC interiors were similar, with a slight edge going to the
llCC for a few interior appointments added to enhance the automobile-like
feel to the cockpit. Hap Granier, the designer of the interior of all three postwar
Aeroncas, worked his magic on the Chiefs to give them a small sedan or coupe
feeling. Bedford whipcord upholstery and side panels, the zebrawood pattern
wood-gra in-printed instrument panel, and control wheels instead of control
sticks all contributed to that atmosphere.
Both the 11CC and 11BC featured a large dorsal fin, but the 11CC had a
different elevator/ stabilizer configuration. That fact is sometimes lost on re­
storers and aircraft modifiers , who incorrectly (and illegally) put the earlier
11AC or llBC stab/ elevator combination on an llCC. The 11CC has an aero­
dynamically balanced elevator, designed to meet the hands-off gliding speed
requirements of the then-new CAR 03 regulations . Aeronca also had the llCC
certified in the Utility category as well as the Normal category, with maximum
gross weights of 1 ,290 and 1 ,350 pounds, respectively. That right there is a
major difference in the airplanes as they are viewed in the market today. The
11BC, with a maximum gross weight of 1,250 pounds , is sport pilot eligible,
while the llCC , by virtue of its 1,350 weight, is not.
Interestingly, a few llCC additions made it into the llBC as well. Both
Chiefs, as well as the four-place Aeronca Sedan , shared the same rudder/
brake pedals , with toe brakes instead of the heel brakes seen on the Champ.
Both feature flight characteristics similar to the Champ , with the Ch iefs having
the edge when it comes to cross-country flights. With a 70-pound baggage al­
lowance and up to 23 gallons of fuel on board, the Chief is a great traveling
machine, if you 're not in a hurry. But when you 're flying something as pretty as
a Chief, who's in a big hurry?
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

BONNIE KRATZ

He

Danny Poulton's Aeronca Chief features a custom
color scheme that is reminiscent of the original
decoration composed by Hap Granier for Aeronca's
side-by-side personal airplane.

4012E

I~g:O:t~t~h~e~iiiiiiiii"ii• • • •

where
control yoke covers with
the
Aeronca logos, the ash­
trays, the bezels, and the air box for
the cabin heat. I even found the pi­
tot tube and hand brake on eBay. If I
would have had to physically search
for all of that stuff, I'd probably still
be looking."
Wag-Aero came to the rescue in
supplying the struts and wing lead­
ing edges.
III was able to use most of the origi­
nal boot cowl, but the original nose­
bowl was really bad and was cut for
the McDowell starter, so I used an
STC'd fiberglass replacement. If I find
a good original, I may change that."
11Th is airplane came out of the fac­
tory with toe brakes, which were with
th e airplane, and I stayed with the
mechanical brakes and just installed
new pads. You don't really need
20

JUNE 2.007

brakes on the air­
plane for anything, so they
work just fine."
Danny was planning on flying the
airplane a lot and added a venturi so
he could run an artificial horizon and
added air vent holes.
"When we were doing the inte­
rior there was no kit available for the
headliner, so a neighbor, Phyllis Dal­
ton, sewed one up using the original
material found on Chiefs. That was
really tedious. Then, I made the side
panels and covered them with Airtex
fabric and had to fabricate a new bag­
gage door and make the boards for
the seats.
"The panel had already been
cleaned, so the wood grain was gone,
but I decided not to try to put it on.
I did, however, make two metal glove

compartments for it.
"The sliding windows were
original to the airplane, but
the polished prop isn't. I
just thought it looked bet­
ter polished."
When the airframe was done and
ready to be covered, Danny went
with Poly-Fiber and shot it with Aero­
thane ... but not in the original col­
ors or scheme.
IIAirtex had some sample seat covers
for the airplane that were inexpensive,
so I bought them and had the paint
mixed to go with the seat covers. Also,
the paint stripes aren't original. They

mimic the factory scheme, but aren't
exact. I should also mention that I
had some help with the fabric from
Larry and Phyllis Dalton, who helped
cover the airplane. This was my first
time, and they made it easy. "
Since Danny had no engine, he
was starting from scratch in that area.
The original was a C8S-8, but with his
papaerwork he found a Supplemental
Type Certificate (STC) that opened
interesting, new avenues.
"There was part of an STC in our
paperwork that would let me install a
-12 engine and that would allow me
to have an electric starter, which I re­
ally wanted. The problem was that
the STC wasn't complete.
Plus the -8 mount is

"I had two sons,
Dale and lD,
than the ­
12, so it's not
a plug-and­
play
change,
and I
expected
some problems
getting the paper­
work straightened out.
"I called the At­
lanta Flight Stan­
dards District
Office and really
lucked out. The Co­
lumbia Federal Avia­
tion Agency (FAA) field examiner
came out, looked the airplane over,
and said he'd be happy to clean up the
paperwork and submit it to Atlanta for
me. What I thought was going to be a
problem turned out to be quite easy."
Unfortunately, Danny found out
that things don't always go easy
when restoring an airplane, and his
headaches came in the form of his
first engine.

and a wonderful
wife, and 1 didn't
want to lose all of
that just because
1 was overweight.
So, 1 started
looking for an
airplane to rebuild
as a way to keep
myself busy."

"I bought a C8S-12 that had been
'overhauled.' I had flown it for about
22 hours when one cylinder lost a
lot of compression, so we pulled the
jug. When we got inside, we found
that the rod was just banging around
in there and was loose on the crank.
When we split the case, we found the
crank was badly scored and a lot of
metal had gone through the engine,
so I had to find another one.
"The second engine was freshly
overhauled by an FAA-certified shop
in 2000, after a prop strike.
The guy I bought it from was
building a homebuilt and
was afraid that the engine was
going to sit too long before his
project was completed, so he sold it.
Everything checked out to be perfect,
and it has been humming along with
no problems since day one."
"We flew the airplane for the first
time July I, 2006, and I had a local
pilot, Gary Dalton, do the test hop. I
don't mind telling you that I was ner­
vous watching it. When I flew it for the
first time, I had only 10 hours of tail­
wheel time I'd logged while getting my
tail wheel endorsement. I was a little
nervous then, too, but everything went
beautifully. When we flew it, it was al­
most exactly three years to the day that
we unloaded it from the trailer.
"When I started, I guess I became
a little compulsive about working on
it. I'd eat in the hangar, work until 10
or 11 every night, and sometimes I'd
wake up in the middle of the night
and go out and work on it. When I'd
get home from church on Sunday, I'd
change clothes and go out and get
something done. I'm glad I did it that
way, because it really helped me with
the other problem ."
In the process of restoring his
Chief, Danny m et several goals. The
first was finishing and flying his own
Chief, but the second, and more im­
portant, was taking control of his life.
From the time he started the Chief to
the time he flew it, he lost 230 pounds
and added no telling how many years
to his life. Most people have difficulty
committing to just finishing an air­
plane, so Danny is to be congratu­
lated for two jobs well done. ~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

~The B·

thof


Creating a classic design
BY CHESTER

L.

PEEK, PH .D.

Could you, in three months' time,
design and build a new light plane,
without tools or factory, and with
very little money? Impossible, you
say! But that is just what e.G. Tay­
lor did in the spring of 1936 when
he introduced the legendary Taylor­
craft to the aviation world. Here's
the story:
In the last week of December
1935, e.G. Taylor was confined to
his bed, ill and completely discour­
aged. Days before, he and Bill Piper
Hangar at Butler, Pennsylvania, 1936. Still in use today.
had signed a legal document that
dissolved their troubled partnership. For Taylor's share
of the Taylor Cub company (which was in debt more
than $90,000), he received approximately $5,000, to be
paid out in small installments over three years.
Byron Shinn knew Taylor well, both as a customer
and friend. In a 1991 letter, he describes Taylor's situa­
tion and subsequent events.
"Back in the 1930s, we had a small manufacturing com­
pany located in one of the hangars on the Butler, Pennsylva­
nia, airport, called The Shinn Devices Company. We made
aluminum wheels for aircraft, 4 bead diameter, 700X4 tire,
and at that time sold them to most of the light aircraft man­
ufacturers, including the Taylor and Piper organization in
Bradford, Pennsylvania. We had a quite complete machine
shop, and engineering design business . "I remember how
Taylorcraft got started. One very cold winter day, probably
in December 1935, I drove up to see Taylor in Bradford. The
roads were terrible, ice coated, and I almost had several ac­
cidents. When I got there I found Taylor sick in bed and in
a very discouraged frame of mind. He had just been 'kicked
out' of his company by Piper, and had little or no money or
employment. I told him, with his abilities as an aircraft de­
signer and builder, that he should certainly try to get back in
the business, and offered to help if I could.
I went back to Butler and contacted D . Bar Peat, who was
a promoter, a very nice fellow, who was running the Butler
Ken SchoHer, about 1980.
airport. I asked if he could raise some money to start Tay­
22

JUNE 2007

TAYLORCRAFT

BY C. 6. TAYLOR

STABLE
ECONOMICAL

PlmBUR6H-BUTLER AIRPORT, BunER, PA.

FAST
A NEW LIGHT PLANE
LOW.PRICED
First Taylorcraft ad, February 1936 Aero Digest.

Carlson and Harold White, who were
engineers; Ken Tibbits and Les Sal­
chow, Parks College graduates; along
(11.8 kcJh.o.) . WioJ Ioadma' 5.8 1b•.JIt.'
with mechanics Colby Carpenter and
(29.3 kc./""l). Weicht empty 570 Ibs. (259 =r~~:br'Tc ~~;ai~~~wd~
kg.). U ..falload 420 Ibs. (190 kc.). Payload removable fin; elentor. and stabiliurs in­
181 lbo. (82 kc'l' Gr... wei,ht m lbo. (449 ter<hanaeable right or IefL Landing rear
kcr
Bant,. I Ibs. (5 kg.). Fuel 10 gals. =ev:bsor~ :closed~ ~~es';: William Crawford. All these men had
good, secure jobs with Piper, and dur­
~L~,!!;,,~L11t1,iLk h.p.
color ocJlulosc finish with trim. Two-place
flex-wine seat 39 inches ,ide--by-lide ; cabin
fabric lined and fire-wall sound proofed; all
ing the Depression, you NEVER left a
~~~"!>am~
~
h.m~'~49
k.p.h.).
. l~ m.p.h. (51.h. .).
control cables and fittinp in the cabin are
Sem<e «iliaC 101,000 ft. (4260 m.). imb fully enclosed. Baggag. compartment 6- X
job. Yet these men, deeply loyal to
9- X .w- back of seaL
per min. 400 It. (122 tn.). Crui,;"g rang.
2.10 mi. (371 1aD.).

Taylor, came with him to this chancy
~.... F.....,. : welded "eel tub;"g;
~~6"oo-~~b,::!S~
four JODIeI'ODS of proareqjve diameters;
wbeds, DuPont Pluticell. 1rindJhield, rulr
wood faired and fabric conrcd; removable
her mounted illltrume:nt p&De1.
new venture. All would eventually
maine mouat j streued fot SO h.p. installa·
~ Aeromarinc altimeter, U. S. 011
tion. W;"g: two paDdJ bolted to fuselafe.

fabric _ ;
oectioo With ~~:itf:r:a; ~~::
rise to responsible executive posi­
eJlipticalJy rOUDded tips; JOlid 'apruce JPlrs: pass or other instnunmts extra.
tions with Taylorcraft.
First Taylorcraft specifications. Photo is of a model.
Ken Scholter, a local mechanic,
was hired as a welder. Contempo­
rary reports credit him with most of
the welding on the new plane. For­
tunately, he was also an amateur
photographer and documented the
building process on film. He fur­
nished most of the photos shown in
this article.
Shinn resumes: When Taylor came
to Butler he had very little money; we
all had very little money at that time.
I believe he got a small settlement from
Piper for his share of the Cub company.
This was in the depths of the Depres­
sion . We doled the money out a few dol­
lars at a time and started to build the
first plane. We used our machine shop
to make the draw bench to make the rib
parts, and to make most of the parts,
jigs, and dies that required machining.
An engineering department was set
up; I hired a draftsman when Ray Carl­
son moved down from Bradford. Tay­
lor and the mechanics would make the
Byron Shinn, about 1936.
parts, and then the draftsman would
lor up again in the airplane business. He, along with Col. make the drawings. We designed a new wheel for the plane,

Breckenridge and some others, did raise a little money, about lightweight and very strong, being constructed of an alumi­
$1,000 as I recall, enough to include the building of the jigs num stamping fastened to a cast aluminum end rim. Tay­
and fixtures and the first plane. We moved Taylor and his lor and I also developed the new tapered axle, which was

family to Butler, rented him a house, and started work in a lighter and less costly. A new Goodrich tire size, 6:00 x 6,

vacant hangar on the Butler airport. SeveraL of Taylor's men was used.

The plane was designed and built during the first four

from Bradford came with him.
Actually, six key Bradford employees left Piper and to five months of 1936. This must have been some sort of
joined Taylor in the new enterprise. They were Ray record. When the plane was finished, the test pilot, Tibbits,
TAYLORCRAFT Model A

Z.place

*ATC

metal ribs fabricated from drawn NicraJ sec­
B_
Span 36' (11 m.). Length 22'
tions : sinc:lc drag wire bracinc; built-up
(6.7 m.). Heicht 6' 8" (2.1 m.). Wm, area metal frame ailerons. fabric COYered and of
169 fL> (15.6 m,l). Power Ioodiaa 2IS IbsJh.p. the balanced type with DO exposed horns.
' ATe pending.


~

... during the

Depression,

you NEVER

left a job.

Yet these men,

deeply loyal

to Taylor,

came with him

to this chancy

new venture.


/I

II

VINTA GE A IR PLANE

23

One day we came to work

to find trucks backed up

to the hangar, and Taylor

hauling away all the

Taylorcraft parts,

Batch of Shinn 8:00 x 4 wheels.

jigs, and fixtures.

Fuselage structure.

started the test flights . First he taxied
the plane up and down the runway,
then flew it the length of the runway
just off the ground, then made flights
a bit higher, and finally made circuits.
The plane flew very well but would not
stall. The CAA required proper recovery
from a stall, so Taylor worked on the
horizontal tail surfaces so that a stall
could be induced, and the plane passed
the CAA tests.
Taylor was a design genius. The
CAA had just released a new-design
wing curve, and Taylor was the first, I
ffi believe, to use it. The wing curve was
~
~ faster and had a soft stall."
~
This was the NACA 23012 airfoil.
z
~ Taylor once told the author that in
1935 he built a set of wings for the
Cub using that airfoil, but Piper ve­
toed the change. They were hanging
on a wall when the Bradford factory
burned in 1937.
Shinn says: "I started an advertising
campaign beginning with a very small
ad in Aero Digest saying, IIS omething
new is coming in Aviation!" The next
ads told a little more. People were very
enthusiastic about the new plane. It
was much advanced over the Cub, be­
ing faster with side-by-side seating and
wheel controls. Before long we had re­
ceived down payments from over 50
customers, $200 each as I recall. This
ffi was due to correspondence with old
~

~
~

Taylor Cub dealers and the Aero Di­
gest ad." In a 1992 interview, Bob
UJ
'" Taylor, e.G.'s son, confirmed this.
He remembered his father waking
z

Wing details.
24

JUNE 2007

C.G. Taylor and a Model ATaylorcraft, 1936.

First A-40 run-up, May 1936.
him up one night in Butler and showing him $10,000
in down payments.
The first ad appeared in the February issue of Aero
Digest and is shown on this page. A later ad showed a
photo of the plane, but since no plane had been com­
pleted at that time, it was actually a snapshot of a model
C.G. Taylor built on his kitchen table. First the new
trademark, Taylorcraft, was used, but when Beechcraft
threatened legal action, claiming Taylorcraft sounded
too much like Beechcraft, the ads were changed to read
"Airplanes by G.G. Taylor." However, they resumed us-

ing the Taylorcraft name after sev­
eral months.
Shinn continues: "D. Bar Peat
was always trying to promote the
plane. On Sundays they would put
on an air show at the Butler airport,
and 200 to 300 people would at­
tend. Som e way he got the Taylor­
craft to lead the way when all the
planes taxied by the grandstand at
the Cleveland Air Races."
Meanwhile, in the hangar fac­
tory, the prototype plane was be­
ing rushed to completion, but
not fast enough to suit Taylor. He
'" once told the author, "I was away
~ from the plant for three days, hav­
o
~ ing given instructions to complete
§ the engine mount. When I returned
it was not done. I hung the engine in
the right place with a chain hoist, we
cut the tubing to (it, and it was done in an hour."
On May 1, the Continental A-40 engine, SIN 635 ,
was run up for the first time; then on May 8, Taylor
signed an application for an experimental certificate.
Only eight days later, on Saturday, May 16, CAA in ­
spector R.A . Young witnessed the test flight and issued
certificate X-16393 to the first Taylorcraft, SIN 25. Ap­
proximately three months had elapsed from the time
construction was started until the new plane was air­
borne. A remarkable achievement.
It was a beautiful plane, sleek and streamlined, a far
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

25

Test flight of the first Taylorcraft, May 1936.

IT'S A

BEAUTY
GRACEFULLY

1 rr¥~~.:A1~~~ :)';.~ ~-

- -=- ,..(/;=-

.

=. --.-

I '

­

- / . -,- - - ­
. ..:...., . _,...

.,

.

CONTINENTAL
MOTOR

Plttsburqh·BuUer Airport

•

Bu tler. Penna .

~

STREAMLINED

-

C. G. TAYL O R

•

F.A.F.


51495·00


-'

.. .

......

April 1936 ad in Aero Digest.
cry from Taylor's boxy, square-cornered E-2 Cub. With
side-by-side seating and wheel controls, it rivaled much
larger, more expensive planes, such as the Waco and
Stinson. Weight had been kept to a minimum; the pro­
totype weighed only 570 pounds. It was much faster
than the Cub. The first prospective customers who flew
the plane verified the advertised cruising speed of 80
mph. In a race with two locals, an Aeronca C-3 and a
Kinner Fleet, the Taylorcraft won easily.
The investors at Butler were elated. With nearly
100 orders and down payments received for their new
plane, they envisioned a rapid production buildup and
the prospects of a thriving, profitable enterprise. Their
faith, however, had been misplaced.
Shinn continues: "But, unknown to D. Bar Peat and

me, Taylor had been talking to others about financing and
a place to manufacture the plane. One day we came to work
to find trucks backed up to the hangar, and Taylor haul­
ing away all the Taylorcraft parts, jigs, and fixtures. They
moved to Alliance, Ohio, where they got one year's free rent
on a large old airplane factory, financing, and tax breaks. D.
Bar Peat and I retained a lawyer to try to get back our in­
vestment, eventually getting back some shares ofTaylorcraft
26

JUNE 2007

stock instead of money. And Piper quit buying my wheels
and switched to Hayes!"
Happily, Taylor and Shinn soon put their legal dif­
ferences behind them and remained good friends and
business associates for many years.
Shinn was not alone in his disappointment when the
unexpected move came. Scholter was out of a job. In
1992 he made this comment: "They left Butler owing me
almost a month's pay, which I never got. But they did give
me a very nice letter of recommendation."
The Alliance Review newspaper proudly announced the
arrival of the new aircraft enterprise in its July 9, 1936,
edition. But that is a story for another day. . .
......

Author's note:
When researching my book, The Taylorcraft Story, in
1992, I was privileged to personally interview four pri­
mary information sources regarding the Butler, Penn­
sylvania, events: e.G. Taylor, Bob Taylor, Ken Scholter,
and Byron Shinn. The history above was taken from
those interviews and contemporary newspaper articles.

_*'.
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EXTRA

The Butler Manufacturing Co. NL-I3 biplane
BY WESLEY SMITH

The March 2007 "Mystery Plane"
is the 1932 Butler Manufacturing
Co. NL-13 biplane designed by Albin
Kasper Longren (sometimes simply re­
ferred to as the Longren NL-13).
A.K. Longren had a very long and
interesting aviation career. Born in a
log cabin near Clay Center, Kansas in
1882, he was the one of 14 children
born to Swedish immigrant home­
stead farmers Charles and Emma Lon­
gren. In 1901 he took a business course
from the International Correspon­
dence School (ICS), which he followed
up with an ICS diploma in mechanical
engineering from 1907-1911.
Longren's interest in aviation be­
gan with his observations of Henry
L. Call in 1908. Call, originally a New
York lawyer, author, and socialist, had
moved to Girard, Kansas in February of
1908 in order to construct a large and
ungainly flying machine powered by
two 20-hp Curtiss B-4 engines. Known
as the "Mayfly" and "The Chicken"
(among other colorful names), the air­
craft failed to fly despite modification.
Call enjoyed the support of the na­
tional socialist newspaper An Appeal to
Reason and constructed several aircraft
under the aegis of The Aerial Naviga­
tion Company of America, starting in
1908, before the company changed
its name.
Beginning in 1911 , Call manu­
factured two-cylinder and four­
cylinder horizontally opposed
air-cooled engines, which h e mar­
keted to would-be aviators through
28 JUNE 2007

advertisements (primarily in Aircraft
and Fly magazines, published by Al­
fred W. Lawson of 1920 Lawson "Air­
liner" fame) . The two-cyli nder Call
was rated at 45 hp and the four-cyl­
inder engine was rated at 90 hp. Call
engines were among the first aircraft
engine to be fitted with mufflers, an
individual muffler being attached to
the exhaust port of each cylinder.
With his brother E.J. Longren and
a mechanic named William Janeke,
Longren constructed a Curtiss-type
pusher biplane in Topeka, Kansas. Be­
gun in the summer of 1910, the To­
peka I was not completed until the fall
of 1911. Fitted with a 60-hp Hall-Scott
A-2, a water-cooled V-8, the Topeka I
became the first successful aircraft to
be completed in the state of Kansas.
Longren made his first flight on Sep­
tember 2, and on September 5, 1911
he made two flights ; the first flight
reaching about 225 feet in altitude
and covering 1.5 miles, and the sec­
ond reaching about 300 feet and cov­
ering six miles.
Of course, Longren was only one
of numerous individuals who built
Curtiss-type pushers. Plans for early
Herring-Curtiss machines were pub­
lished in Aeronautics and other avia­
tion periodicals, as well as in books.
With some individual alterations,
many such aircraft were built in the
United States prior to America's entry
into World War 1.
At any rate, Longren soon went
into the exhibition business with

H. Young, renaming the Topeka I as
the Dixie Flyer. The words: "Dixie Flyer
- A.K. Longren - Aviator" were painted
on the underside of the Topeka I/Di­
xie Flyer's monoplane canard. Between
1911 and 1914, Longren gave 1,372
exhibition flights in Kansas, Texas,
Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Colorado
for the Young Aviation Co.
In 1912, Longren built a second Cur­
tiss-type with a Hall-Scott A-2. This air­
craft incorporated the improvements
Curtiss had made to his newer aircraft
during 1911-1912, and in due course,
the mid-gap ailerons were moved to
the trailing edges of the upper wing.
This aircraft was sold to Longren's for­
mer student and friend Phil Billard,
who used it to give exhibition flights.
This aircraft, sometimes known as the
Topeka II, was presented to the Kansas
State Historical Society in 1938, where
it still exists as a display.
In the spring of 1914, Longren took
time to marry Ms. Dolly Trent. Later
that winter (1914-1915), Longren built
his first entirely original aircraft design
- a two-place tractor biplane, again se­
lecting the reliable Hall-Scott as the
powerplant. During an exhibition at
the Dickson County Fair at Abilene on
September 9, 1915, the aircraft stalled
on takeoff and was destroyed, hitting
an automobile that was leaving the fair­
grounds. Longren's passenger was rela­
tively unscathed, but Longren suffered a
broken leg and several internal injuries.
While recovering from his inju­
ries in early 1916, Longren, with Phil

Billard, began the construction of
his fourth aircraft, the Model G. The
Model G was a clean two-place tractor
biplane with a strong resemblance to a
Curtiss IN-4. In fact, it was powered by
a Curtiss OX-2 and was intended for
sale to the warring European powers.
However, only two were sold: one to
the Kansas National Guard, the other
being used for exhibition flights.
Late in the year, Longren built a
small tractor biplane, sometimes re­
ferred to as the Longren Bus. The con­
struction featured a three-ply wooden
monocoque fuselage and was built for
William Burt of Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
A second machine was constructed for
Lester Miller of Dallas, Texas, who in­
tended to use the aircraft for aerobatic
exhibitions. By late 1917, Longren had
moved on to another two-place design
known as the Model H. As in the case
of the earlier Longren Bus, the Model H
used a wooden monocoque fuselage .
The Model H was powered by a Cur­
tiss 90-hp OX-5 engine; unfortunately,
while on his way to Kansas City, Mis­
souri, Longren suffered an engine fail­
ure near Wakarusa, Kansas. The aircraft
was destroyed in a crash, which proved
fatal to a cow standing in the field in
which Longren was forced down. He
was made to pay $100.00 in restitution
to the angry farmer. After that, interest
in the Model H faded away.
Late in 1917, Longren became
involved with Frederick W. Buck,
M.D., M.E. and applied for a posi­
tion as chief engineer with the Buck
Aircraft and Munitions Co. of Den­
ver. To what extent Longren became
involved with Dr. Buck is unknown .
Buck (a long with Elmer Sperry, and
later, Charles F. Kettering at Dayton­
Wright) had plans to develop and
sell an "aerial torpedo" - essentially
a small 50-hp biplane "cruise mis­
sile," which was intended to fly on a
preprogrammed course, then shed its
wings at the proper time and place,
depositing a bomb contained within
the crude fuselage framework.
Longren's career took another path
after his debacle with the Model H.
After failing to establish a new air­
craft company in Overland Park,
Kansas , Longren eventually took a

position at McCook Field as an air­
craft inspector. The Great War had
cost Longren's friend Phil Billard his
life, when he was killed in a flying
accident while serving in Issoudun,
France. Longren's position at Mc­
Cook had allowed him the opportu­
nity to examine every domestic and
foreign-built aircraft tested there un­
til the time of his departure in 1919.
On June 17, 1919, Longren formed
the Longren Aircraft Corp. in Topeka,
Kansas, using a former woolen mill in
the Oakland suburb as the site for the
new corporation. The first aircraft to
come out of the plant was the rebuilt
Model H, now resurrected as the H-2.
It is unclear as to how the H-2 differed
from the earlier Model H, but by mid­
1920 Longren had gone in yet another
direction with the construction of the
two-place Model D-2 - a small aircraft
powered by a three-cylinder "Y" con­
figuration Lawrence Model B engine
of 35-60 hp. Within a year, the D-2
had evolved to become the Longren
Model AK Sport.
Described in the pages of Avia­

tion and Aerial Age Weekly, (Volume
11, Number 12. Sept. 29,1921, pages
336-337; and Volume 14, Num­
ber 3. Sept. 26, 1921 , pages 55-56,
respectively) the two-place Longren
Sport, or Fibre Sport, was a sensational
design that incorporated the three-ply
laminated wooden monocoque fuse­
lage of the 1916 Longren "Bus" and
the 1917 Model H, and a set of folding
biplane wings to facilitate storage. It
is unclear as to how the fuselage of
the Sport may have differed from ear­
lier Longren monocoque construc­
tion techniques, if at all.
However, a 1925 Longren patent
describes the use of diamond-shaped
wood fibre shell (procured from the
National Fibre Co.) being covered
with an additional two layers of wood
laminations on either side. The fu­
selage was made in upper and lower
halves, using steam-pipe-heated con­
crete male and female molds clamped
together using 6,000 pounds of pres­
sure. The sections were then trimmed
and dried, with special provision for
humidity control, before being joined

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

29

to a framework of grooved ash longe­
rons and formers. The fuselage form­
ers were made of three-ply materials;
engine-bearing formers were made
of a seven-ply material. The formers
were, in turn, attached to the fuse­
lage shells with screws. Finally, the fu­
selage was varnished inside and out
with Valspar varnish, the exterior re­
ceiving a coat of pigmented varnish
before a final clear coat.
Sold with both Lawrence Model L­
2 three-cylinder Y-style and Anzani six­
cylinder radial engines, the Longren
Fibre Sport was flown in several nota­
ble Midwestern aviation events during
the early 1920s. During the American
Legion Air Meet at Kansas City (Octo­
ber 31 - November 3, 1921), the Sport
made 38 consecutive loops while being
flown by N.D. Trinler. Two Sports were
also flown during a special efficiency
race held at Omaha, Nebraska on No­
vember 11. An AK Sport, again flown
by Trinler, placed second, with a speed
of 77.91 mph when flown over a 153­
mile triangular course. Later that No­
vember, two AK Sports were placed at
the disposal of the Kansas City Star to
deliver newspapers from Kansas City
to Lawrence, Kansas in record time.
During a game between the Missouri
Tigers and the Kansasjayhawks, a tele­
graph wired a play-by-play account of
the football game to the Star's office.
The newspapers were then promptly
set, printed, and delivered via aircraft
to the Lawrence street vendors be­
fore departing fans were even able to
reach their homes.
After establishing a climb record for
Longren aircraft in 1922, the Longren
Sport attracted the attention of custom­
ers from as far away as China and the
Soviet Union. In 1923, the U.S. Navy
became interested, and on February
19, 1924, Lt. j.B. Kneip flew the accep­
tance tests for the first of three Lon­
gren AK Sports that were sold to the
Navy (serial numbered A6745 through
A6747) . The first machine was shipped
to Washington, D.C. for testing at the
Anacostia Naval Air Station, while the
other two were delivered to Pensacola.
However, documentation of their sub­
sequent testing and use by the Navy
remains elusive.
30

JUNE 2007

Photos of Longren Sports and the
later NL-13 show the distinctive Lon­
gren company logo painted on the side
of the fuselage, and perhaps a few words
need to be said about it. This consisted
of four capital ilLs" joined at the top of
each letter. This formed a crux gammata,
or "swastika," although the direction
the letters pointed was counter-clock­
wise, as opposed the symbol's use on
aircraft flown by Nazi Germany, in
which the bottom of the ilLs" point in a
clockwise direction. Prior to its adoption
by the Nazi Party, this ancient symbol
was seen as far afield at the Southwest­
ern United States, where it was a sacred
symbol of Native Americans, and in In­
dia, and in Runic Europe. During The
Great War, the Indian head emblem of
Seaplane Pilots Association (SPA) 124
included a crux gammata as part of the
headdress worn by the Native Ameri­
can chieftan. In its time and place, it
was considered as a symbol of good for­
tune and was in no way considered to
be an insult. In fact, after World War
I, Finland adopted a grayish-blue crux
gammata inscribed within a white circle
as the national insignia for its aircraft.
In Longren's case, the ilL" was inscribed
with a second ilL" and the rest of the
letters in Longren's surname. In addi­
tion to that, a circular logo and was
placed at the center of the emblem, to
which a set of wings and a propeller
reached out to a point near the tips of
the ilLs." So, as it turns out, the Lon­
gren "swastika" was covered by what
might roughly be considered a crux
immissa, or crucifix. Longren had no
connections to fascist idealism. The
company logo, which originated in the
Midwest in the early 20s, was simply
a clever play on the primary letter in
Longren's surname.
No matter how good an aircraft the
Longren Sport was, the company could
not survive on such limited orders, and
the last aircraft was sold in May of 1924.
The remaining company assets, patents,
and facilities were sold at an auction
in March 1926. The Longren Sport was
resurrected briefly in 1928 when the
American Eagle Aircraft Corporation
of Kansas City, Missouri built a solitary
aircraft as the Model A-429. However,
the aircraft was much different than the

original Longren Sport, and the design
was not pursued further. Following the
collapse of his company, Longren was
hired by Willis Brown to become vice­
president of production at the Spartan
Aircraft Co. in Tulsa. When Brown left
in 1929, Longren also moved on to be­
come a design consultant at the But­
ler Manufacturing Co. at Kansas City.
Butler had planned to manufacture the
Butler Blackhawk biplane. However, the
company was unable to do this and all
manufacturing was halted in 1931. At
this pOint, Longren made a deal to build
a new airplane -- the NL-13.
Registered as X12538, and sporting
the distinctive Longren fuselage logo,
the NL-13 ("NL" possibly standing for
"New Longren") fuselage was built us­
ing a new machine-forming method
for heat-treated duralumin sheets. The
upper and lower fuselage halves of the
1932 NL-13 biplane were joined to
"T-shaped" longerons and riveted to­
gether. Fuselage formers also made of
liT" cross-section were riveted to the
halves, creating a very strong duralu­
min semi-monocoque fuselage. Like the
earlier Longren AK, the NL-13 had twin
side-by-side seating. The powerplant of
the aircraft was a Martin 333 of 120 hp.
With the exception of the wing spars,
the NL-13 was of all-metal construction,
the wings being fabric covered.
The aircraft was first tested by George
Gay in August of 1932. At that time,
Gay worked for the aeronautics branch
of the Civil Aeronautics Administra­
tion (CAA.) The aircraft was found to
be slightly tail-heavy. This was cured
by a slight stabilizer adjustment. The
engine also suffered from a slight over­
heating problem. This was corrected by
enlarging the cooling louvers and sub­
stituting the original propeller with an­
other type.
The NL-13 had a span of 28 feet and
a length of 22 feet. Apparently the goal
of the NL-13 was to obtain a military
contract. After further testing at Roos­
evelt Field, Long Island, New York,
the fuselage of the NL-13 was sold to
the United States Army Air Corps and
underwent stress evaluation at Wright
Field, Dayton, OhiO, in june 1933. After
slight modification to some of the stiffcontinued on page 37

Dan-ell Jenkins
Heber Springs, AR

• Private pilot, single-engine
land and sea

• 500 hours total ­
300 in taildraggers
aircraft:
1948 Ercoupe 415-E

• Current

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continued from page 3

EAA Seeks to Preserve Access
to Repair Station Services
EAA cautions that proposed aircraft
repair station certification regulations
could harm many small general avia­
tion shops and adversely affect air­
craft owners seeking to maintain the
airworthiness of their aircraft.
The FAA estimates the cost for de­
veloping and implementing a new
quality system called for by the pro­
posed regulations at $34,500 per re­
pair station. Many small operations
cannot afford such an expense, and it
could force some to close their doors.
"We fear that these requirements
would ultimately result in dimin­
ished availability of qualified and
experienced maintenance expertise,
especially for the vintage fleet," said
Earl Lawrence, EAA vice president of
industry and regulatory affairs. "Air­
craft owners could be forced to use
maintenance facilities with less spe­
cialized experience on their aircraft
type, making it more difficult to com­
plete major repairs and changes to
small aircraft, potentially impacting
safety as well."
EAA also questions the feasibility
of requiring repair stations to main­
tain an approved capability list for
each make, series, and model of air­
craft it's permitted to work on. Many
small operators often inspect and
maintain virtually hundreds of air­
craft types, creating an administra­
tive nightmare.
EAA is willing to discuss how the
FAA could best address its quality
concerns while ensuring the own­
ers of small aircraft continue to have
ready access to repair station services.
One suggestion EAA proposed is to
exempt, or lessen, requirements for
smaller shops with fewer than a given
number of employees.
EAA's full comments can be found
at www.EAA.org/communications/
eaanews/Repa i r_Station_NPRM_Draft.pdf
The notice of proposed rulemaking
is at http://DMSES.DOTgov/docimages/
pdf99/431749_web.pdf
.......
32

JUNE 2007

\

Arlene Martinez in the right seat with volunteer Young Eagles pilot Paul Rachels.
The EAA Young Eagles program, the world's most successful youth aviation
initiative ever, has registered the 1.3-millionth Young Eagle flown. She is Arlene
Martinez, age 12, of Yuma, Arizona, who took her flight on March 17 at Somerton
Airport (54AZ) in a Cessna 170 piloted by Paul Rachels, EAA 633950. Rachels is
president and Young Eagles coordinator for Yuma EAA Chapter 590.
"Arlene was very enthusiastic," said Rachels, who has flown 123 Young Eagles.
"She definitely enjoyed the flight and would like to do it again."' He always gets a
kick out of how kids react to their special flights. "It's as incredible an experience
for me as it is for them, and I have 700 hours of flight time."
Steve Buss, EAA Young Eagles executive director, called it "another important
milestone" for the program, which this year marks its 15th anniversary year-the
birthday will be marked at AirVenture this year. " It's wonderful to recognize Paul
and Arlene's flight, but we also applaud the outstanding continuing support and
enthusiasm for Young Eagles by our members. We extend our congratulations to all
who have helped the program reach this unprecedented level of participation."

Nominations Due June 15 for EAA Young Eagles Awards
Each year EAA honors several special volunteers at EAA AirVenture with the
annual Young Eagles awards, and there's still time to nominate a deserving per­
son for 2007.
Nominations for the following awards are being accepted through June 15:
• Chapter Coordinator
• Field Representative
• Ground Support Volunteer
• Young Eagles Humanitarian (presented for efforts to reach special needs
Young Eagles)
• Young Eagles Horizon Award (recognizing efforts to go beyond the basic
Young Eagles flight)
Awards will be presented at a special ceremony held at EAA AirVenture Muse­
um's Eagle Hangar on Wednesday, July 25. To download the official nomination
form, visit www.YoungEagles.org/volunteers/award_nomination.pdf.

BY BUCK HILBERT

The very beginning of airworthiness
certificates, pilot certificates
For many years I've talked and writ­
ten about the beginnings of the Aero
Club of America (ACA), now known
as the National Aeronautic Associa­
tion (NAA). I've explained how this
pioneer era appointed Orville Wright
as the chairman of the Contest & Re­
cords Board, and how a pilot registra­
tion program came into being.
The World War I pilots returning
home were barnstorming and other­
wise doing their best to make a living
in aviation. That led to attempts to
register and somehow civilize these

"barnstormers" and promote some
order and safety to their flying . It had
one other side effect. No record at­
tempt or air show (or air meet, as they
were called back then) could be staged
without the approval of the Aero
Club, which was affiliated with the
international governing body the Fe­
deration Aeronautique Internationale
(FAI) . The contestant was required to
be a member of the Aero Club, which
then issued a certification to the pi­
lot. Hence, the FAl"Sporting License"
old-timers would show was signed by

Certifying Aircraft and Pilots

AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE

A.r.w.. 23 W.

IauecI to VIlICEll!l! ASTOR

26th S'l'. B.Y.Cit,.­

m~ts C!nltiU.s that the Aircraft described below has been Inspected and found

AiruIo~ for daylight llyin, on
AJIlI 0VEIl WUER OKLY


For the Fl)1nA Season of
Cml&ato N.. ...Ji:I~

1922

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UND
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_

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t

............


N=A1fefJ~ m;ATE WAmR

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ ....... . .::1 ...- . .. PQR'I'lrASRDWTCJN, l'
N_'- 01

5'

",AlOft' to .. ."....

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I~

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LIBRRrY I I.

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_

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AJk,w,L .......

AERO. ElIGR. C~IIo.'.T",No 23-t

30 pr. 3'
""" .... 2700
""._ 130

0 - .. ......

5 , 000

c:,.,,;

Orville Wright. It was a requirement
of the federal government. No federal
requirement for a pilot's certificate
would come into being until the Air
Commerce Act gave that authority
and responsibility to the Department
of Commerce on May 20, 1926.
In all of the information I've read
on the early days of the ACA, later
the NAA, there was never any men­
tion of aircraft standards or airwor­
thiness certificates. I never ques­
tioned it, and as a matter of fact I
never gave it a thought.
Then along comes friend and Vin­
tage member "Mitch" Wohl from
Barrington, Illinois, and he drops
two books on my desk. The first one
I picked up was titled A Symbol of
Safety. This book was first published
in 1923 and tells all about the found­
ing of the Underwriters Laboratories
(UL). Reprinted in 1995, it goes into
great detail as to the history of UL. I
found it very interesting.
The second book, published on
the 100th anniversary of Underwrit­
ers Laboratories in 1994, amplifies
a bit of the material that was pub-

AmClW'r
T • Y


9on

.


SodoIH9!::~'iF,--_ _
..._ 42 PT. 6 U..... _ _ . n 8 Pr.
_
... ,... 4100
II.
UMIwI ' .... 1400
"­
_Cd'" 20.000
.... ...... hlln._H._ 2S_
" .......' OBE
_ _ U.S. 32230

..... "'-"" .. JfAJ.l.".JODS ..... JULY 7, 1922.

This airworthiness certificate was
issued by an Underwriters Labora­
tories inspector, Maj. J. W. Jones,
who deemed the Loening Air Yacht of
Vincent Astor to be in airworthy condi­
tion. It is restricted to dayligbt flying
"and over water only." Here's a photo
of its sister ship, from the 1922 Air­
craft Yearbook.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

33

The book goes into

great detail

as to physical

standards for

airmen. There were

Loening monoplane "Flying Yacht," 100 h.p. Liberty engine, which made a world
record for aHitude, with three passengers and pilot, 19,500 feet.

lished in the 1923 book. Its entire
theme is "Making the World Safe
for Technology." What a revelation,
both regarding the organization 's
history in general and its involve­
ment in aviation.
The real beginnings were at the
1893 World's Fair at the Great White
City in Chicago. The Electricity
Building had frequent visits by the
fire brigade in response to the new al­
ternating current electricity displays
catching fire and causing problems. It
was then that William Henry Merrill
began his testing lab, which proved

electricity could be a servant rather
than a master.
"Our only function is to serve,
not to profit. We are doing some­
thing for manufacturers, buyers, and
property owners everywhere. We are
doing things for humanity," was a
direct quote from Merrill. This was
the beginning of the lab. The lab was
funded by corporations that wanted
their products tested, as well as by the
insurance underwriters themselves.
From 1893 through 1905, the bud­
get expanded from a mere $3,000
to more than $300,000. During that

all sorts of tests

for altitude tolerance,

fatigue, and eyesight,

and their standards

specify annual physicals.


rAiLW~eeL5

srl'INSON 1..5
.JOCI'I~Y!
34

JUNE 2007

~
Call to order your copies today!
time, more than 7,500 reports were published, the lab
moved to larger quarters, it was chartered in Illinois, and
the landmark inspection and label service was established.
Within two years, UL inspectors were at work in 67 cit­
ies. UL got into everything: electrical, fire prevention, fire
extinguishers, automobiles, oil and gasses, and transporta­
tion as well. That's where we come in, airplanes.
When the first commercial airplane takes off here in the
USA in the '20s, UL registers airplanes, certifies pilots, and
issues the now rather quaint-sounding "Rules of the Air."
I'm getting ahead of the full story, but in a nutshell, the
National Aircraft Underwriters Association proposed and
requested UL become the custodian of the official register
of all aircraft pilots (other than government pilots) and
take full charge of all details connected therewith.
UL undertook this branch of the work on July I, 1921.
The book goes into great detail as to physical stan­
dards for airmen. There were all sorts of tests for altitude
tolerance, fatigue, and eyesight, and their standards
specify annual physicals.
No wonder the early birds were considered supermen!
The next step was to create a register of commercial and
private aircraft. On May I, 1922, UL began a nationwide
inspection service in order to make it possible to issue cer­
tificates of airworthiness for individual aircraft. The details
of the inspections and the people employed to conduct
them is an early "Who's Who" in aviation. The inspections
were very stringent and as demanding for the aircraft as
they were for the pilots.
And that, dear friends, is the story of the first airwor­
thiness certificates. They were all issued long before the
Department of Commerce became involved, and of course
long before the creation of the Civil Aviation Authority
(CAA) and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Little by little the freedoms of flight have been whittled
down and the myriad of Federal Aviation Regulations we
live with came about, but here, fellow pilots and aircraft
owners, was the very beginning, and it was the insurance
I(
people who started it all!
Over to you,
(( ~(,(~

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BY H.G . FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS A BIT OF A " MULLIGAN" FOR THOSE OF YOU

WHO HAVE ENJOYED L1GHTPLANES FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. STILL, NOT MUCH IS

PUBLISHED ABOUT THIS RATHER ATTRACTIVE AMPHIBIAN .


Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box
3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs
to be in no later than July 15 for inclusion in the
September 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane.

You can also send your response via e-mail. Send
your answer to [email protected]. Be sure to include
your name, city, and state in the body of your note, and
put I/(Month) Mystery Plane" in the subject line.

MARCH ' S MYSTERY ANSWER


36 J UN E 2007

nology...

olph Dope

Here's a little about the March
Mystery Plane:
The subject Mystery Plane ap­
pears to be the Longren NL-13 sin
2, X12538, built in 1932 by Albin
K. Longren (1882-1950) in Kansas
City, Missouri. Longren had been a
design consultant for Butler Manu­
facturing Co. during the certifica­
tion of the Butler Blackhawk and
built the NL-13 in the Butler facility
with help from Butler employees.
Butler had ceased production by
that time in the depths of the Great
Depression. The NL-13 had an all­
metal airframe except for wooden 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ­
wing spars and the fabric wing cov­
ering. The engine was a 120-hp Mar­
tin 333 inv e rted inline with four
cylinders. The X12538 was the only
NL-13 built and was not successful
in reaching production, although it
was an ea rly example of formed alu­
minum aircraft structures.
My information comes from Aero­
files.com and from Chuck (Charles
E.) Lebrecht's fine article entitled, A.K.

Longren - Pioneer Airman of the West,
published in American Aviation Histori­
cal Society Journal , Vol.26, No.4, Win­
ter 1981 , pp.258-270. Lebrecht's article
gives a great vjew of Longren's career as
an aircraft designer and manufacturer.
Jack Erickson
State Coll ege, Pennsylvania
Other correct answers were re­
ceived from WaIt House, Wich­
ita, Kansas; George Otto Snook,
Monroe, Michigan; John Miller,
Wamego, Kansas; Cam Bla ze r,
Leawood, Kansas. An extensive ar­
ticl e on th e airplane and A.K. Lon­
gren, written by Wesley Smith, is
also includ ed in this issue of Vin­

tage Airplane.

.......

eners and bulkheads, the NL-13 fuselage
had a safety factor able to absorb 16.83g
ahead of the center of gravity (CG) and
11g aft of the CG.
This made the fuselage of the NL-13
considerably stronger than that of the
Stearman YBT-3, Boeing P-26A, Co n­
solidated P-30, and Boeing P-12B, with
which it was compared, the YBT-3 having
a maximum g-Ioading potential of 109
both fore and aft of the CG. While the re­
port recommended the possible adoption
of Longren's construction techniques, or­
ders for the NL-13 were not forthcoming,
and no further examples were built.
With the demise of Butler, Longren
went to work for himself, using a por­
tion of the former Butler factory at
the Kansas City Municipal Airport. In
1933-34, Longren did the initial metal
work on the Luscombe Phantom and
developed metal-working techniques
with his partner, Ivan Driggs. Plans for
opening another aircraft factory were
put on hold when Cess n a reopened
their Wichita, Kansas facility in 1934 for
production of the Cessna C-34. Cessna
hired Longren as vjce-president, a posi­

tion that he held until 1939 when he
moved to Torrance, California to open
the Longren Aircraft Company.
While Longren built no further air­
craft, he became a successful subcon­
tractor of prefabricated components for
other aircraft manufacturers. After the
end of World War II, Longren sold his
company and retired to a 3,OOO-acre
ranch at Adin, Ca lifornia, where he
passed away due to a heart condition on
Nov. 19, 1950, at age 68.
The defini tive Longren article was
written by Mr. Charles E. Lebrecht and
was published in the Winter 1981 edi­
tion of the American Aviation Historical
Society Journal (Volume 26, Number 4,
pages 258-270) . I a m indebted to Mr.
Lebrecht's excellent research for the in­
formation in this piece. Further informa­
tion on A.K. Longren can be found in the
pages of Aviation Quarterly (Mace, Ken­
neth D., Pioneer Airmen of Kansas. Vol­
ume 5, Number 2. Second Quarter, 1979,
pages 152-163). Mr. Mace's article is also
quite well-written and contains sever­
al beautiful photos of Longren's aircraft,
as well as the 1908 Call Mayfly.
.......
VINTAGE A I RPLANE

37

The fo llowing list ofcoming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of information only and does not consti­
tute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control, or direction ofany event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed.
To submit an event, send the information via mail to: Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903­
3086. Or e-mail the information to: [email protected]. Informa tion should be received four months prior
to the event date.
JUNE S-IO-Union . IL-Poplar Grove Airport
Army Wings and Wheels. Info Vintage
Wings & Wheels Museum 815-547·3115
Tom Murray [email protected]
JUNE 14-17-St. Louis, MO-Dauster Flying
Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO). American
Waco Club Fly·ln. Info: Phil Coulson 269­
624-6490 or rcoulson516@cs .com www.
americanwacoclub.com
JUNE 20-2l--Lock Haven, PA-William T.
Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental
Journey Fly-In. Family oriented fly-in
featuring antique and classic aircraft of
all makes and models. especially PIPERS!
Seminars. vendors. food. camping. and
entertainment daily. Come for the day
or the week! Call 570-893-4200 or 748­
5123 for more information . j3cub@kcnet.
org www.sentimentaljourneyfly-in.com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop
Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National
Waco Club Reunion. Check www.
nationalwacoclub.com for more
information and contact information . Or
email/ call Andy Heins, 937 313 5931
[email protected]
JUNE 22-24-Gardner, KA-Gardner Municipal
Airport, (K34) Greater KC VAA Chapter 16
Fly-in Contact Kevin Pratt 816-985-3248
JUNE 23-Zanesville, OH-Riverside Airport
(OH36) EM Chapter 425 Pancake
Breakfast 8:00 AM till 2:00 PM All you can
eat pancakes, sausage and drink $5.00 for
adu lts $2.50 for children under six. Lunch
items served after 11:00PM Contact:
Chuck Bruckelmeyer (740) 454-7487
JUNE 30-Chetek. WI-The Chetek WI (Y23)
9AM car show. craft fair and show. a
professional horse pull and a water ski
show. Plenty of food and drink available
throughout the day. For more info contact
Chuck Harrison 715-456-8415 fixdent@
chibardun.net or Tim Knutson 715-237­
2477 [email protected]
JUNE 31-Russellville , KY- Russellville-Logan
County Airport (4M7) 9th Annual All You
Can Eat BarBQ Lunch 11:00am - 2:00pm
Rain Date July 5th Aircraft displays,
skydiving, door prizes Everyone welcome
For more information: eaal165@yahoo.
com, www.angelfire.com/ ky3/ eaal165.
Joe Lawrence 270-726-1558
JULY 4-Mt. Morris, IL-Ogle County Airport
(C55) EM Chapter 682 Fly-In Breakfast
7am-llam For information call Dr. Glen
Orr 815-735-7268
JULY 6-8--All iance, Oh (2Dl)-Taylorcraft
and Ohio Aeronca Aviator's Fly-In. See the
airplanes built in Alliance, OH & Middletown ,

38

JU N E 2007

OH and the people that built them. Camping,
motels. food all day. [email protected]
330823-1168 [email protected]
216 337-5643 http://www.oaaf/y-in.com.
see www.barberaircraft.com for airport
diagrams. Breakfast served Sat & Sun 7AM
to 11AM by EM Chapter # 82
JULY 14-Zanesville, OH-Parr Airport (OH36)
EM Chapter 425 Pancake Breakfast 8:00
AM till 2:00 PM All you can eat pancakes,
sausage and drink $5.00 for adults
$2.50 for children under six. Lunch items
served after 11:00PM Contact: Chuck
Bruckelmeyer (740) 454-7487
AUGUST 5-Queen City. MO-Applegate Airport
(15MO). 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In &
BBQ. 2pm 'til dark. Come and see grass roots
aviation at it's best. Info: 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek, WI-Southworth
Municipal airport (Y23) . BBQ Fly-In .
10:30am Warbird displays. antique and
unique airplanes, antique & collector car
displays, and raffles for airplane rides .
Procedes will be given to local charities.
Info: Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924­
4501 . Cell 715-456-8415, fixdent@
chibardun.net; Tim Knutson - Home
715-237-2477, Cell 651-308-2839.
[email protected]
AUGUST 17-19--McMinnville , OR-25th
Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion
Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel
Air. Expected to be the largest gathering
of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times. Held
in conjunction with the Northwest Antique
Airplane Club Event. Info: Bruce McElhoe
559-638-3746
AUGUST 18--Forest Lake, MN-(25D)-Airport
Fly-in and Open House lOam - 4pm. 24­
hour gas and 24-hour grass : 3000-foot
31/ 13. Forest Lake Lions serve brats ,
corn-<>n-the-cob and ice cream. 100LL is
available John Schmidt EM 250021 St.
Paul . Minnesota 651 776 1717
AUGUST IS-I9-Long Island , NY- Bayport
(23N) Annual Antique Aeroplane Fly-In
Old time movies. popcorn , pig roast, flour
bomb drop and spot landing contest with
the days ending in the in famous" Sheep
Shagger Baa For more info www.AACGNY.
org or email Stuart Bain at Sbain@
emediaofny. com
AUGUST 19-Brookfield, WI-Capitol Airport
(02C). Ice Cream Social and vintage
Aircraft Display, VAA Chapter 11. Dean
London . 262-442-4622
AUGUST 2S-Niles MI-Jerry Tyler Memorial.
Airport (3TR) VAA Chapter 35 Annual Corn
& Sausage Roast Lunch served 11:00am

to 3:00 pm. Rain date on Sunday, August.
26th Donations of $5.00 for adults and
$3.00 for children under 12 Contact Len
Jansen [email protected]
SEPTEMBER I -Marion. IN-Marion
Municipal Airport (MZZ). 17th Annual
Fly-In Cruise-In. 7:00am until 2:00pm .
This annual event features antique,
classic . homebuilt. ultralight and
warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars ,
trucks, motorcycles, and tractors. An
all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is
served . with all proceeds going to the
local Marion High School Marching
Band . www.FlylnCruiseln.comlnfo : Ray
Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnson@
indy.rr.com
SEPTEMBER I -Zanesville, OH-Riverside
Airport (OH36) EM Chapter 425 Pancake
Breakfast 8:00 AM till 2:00 PM All you
can eat pancakes, sausage and drink
$5.00 for adults $2 .50 for children under
six. Lunch items served after 11:00PM
Contact: Chuck Bruckelmeyer Phone:
(740) 454-7487
SEPTEMBER 2-Mondovi, WI-21st Annual
Log Cabin Airport Fly-In. Doug Ward , Owner/
Operator. 715-287-4205. Lunch @ noon.
SEPTEMBER 8-Newark, Ohio-Newark­
Heath Airport (VTA) Annual Fly-In/ Drive­
In Breakfast " Pancakes and More, "
Young Eagles Flights, Vintage Airplanes ,
Classic Cars, Tom McFadden 740-587­
2312; email : [email protected]
SEPTEMBER 9-Mt. Morris, IL-Ogle County
Airport (C55) EM Chapter 682 Fly-In
Breakfast 7am-12pm For information call
Dr. Glen Orr 815-735-7268
SEPTEMBER 21-22- Bartlesville , OK-Frank
Phillips Field (BVO). 51st Annual Tulsa
Regional Fl y-In . Antiques , Classics .
Light Sport, Warbirds , Forum , Type
Clubs. Info : Charlie Harris 918-622­
8400 www.tulsaf/yin.com
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden, SC-Kershaw
County Airport (KCDN) . VAA Chapter 3
Fall Fly-In. All classes welcome . BBQ
on field Fri . Evening. EAA judging all
classes Sat. Banquet Sat. Nite. Info:
Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson@
homexpressway.net
OCTOBER 5-7-St. Louis, MO-Creve Coeur
Airport (lHO) The Monocoupe Club Fly-In &
Reunion www.monocoupe.com
OCTOBER IO-I4-Tuliahoma . TN-" Beech
Birthday Party 2007 " Staggerwing.
Twin Beech 18, Bonanza, Baron .
Beech owners& enthusiasts. Info 931­
455-1974

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2007 MAJOR

FLy-INS
For details on EM Chapter fly·ins and other local avi·
ation events, visit www.eaa.orgjevents
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In
Yuba County Airport (MYV), Marysville, CA
June 29·July 1, 2007
www.Go/denWestRy/n.org
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay.Jn
Front Range Airport (FTG), Watkins, CO
June 23-24, 2007
wwwRMRR.org
Arlington EAA Ay-In
Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO), Arlington, WA
July 11-15, 2007
www.NWEAA.org
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh
Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh, WI
July 23-29, 2007
www.AirVenture.org
EAA Mld-Eastem Regional Ay-In
Mansfield Lahm Airport, Mansfield, OH
August 25-26, 2007
http://MERR. info
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In
Dinwiddie County Airport (PTB), Petersburg, VA
October 6-7 , 2007
www.VAEAA.org
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In
Middleton Field Airport (GZH), Evergreen, AL
October 12-14, 2007
www.SERR.org
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay.Jn
Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ)
October 25-28, 2007
www.copperstate.org

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lead-in on first line.
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high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts.
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date
(i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right
to reject any advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per
issue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order.
Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (c/[email protected]) using
credit card payment (all cards accepted). Include name on card, complete address ,
type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA .
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager,
P.O. Box 3086 , Oshkosh , WI 54903-3086.

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A&P I.A.: Annual, 100 hr. inspections.

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

39

Membershi~ Services
VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
ASSOCIATION
EAA's VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS
President

Vice· President

Geoff Robison
152 1 E. MacG regor Dr.
New H ave n, IN 46774
260·493·4724
cllie{[email protected]

George Daubner

Secretary
Steve Nesse

2448 Lough Lane
Hartford, WI 53027
262·673·5885

vaa{[email protected]

Treasurer
Ch arles W. Harris

2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, M 56007
507·373· 1674

[email protected]

72 15 East 46th Sl.

Tulsa , OK 74 147

9 18·622·8400


([email protected]

DIRECTORS
Jeann ie Hill

Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road
Sherborn, MA 01770
508·653·7557
sst 10@com cas t .llet

David Bennett

375 Ki lldeer Ct

Lincoln , CA 95648

916·645·8370

[email protected]

John Berendt
7645 Echo Point Rd.
Ca nnon Fa ll s, M N 55009
507· 263·24 14
mjb(cIJld@rcOflll(xt.collJ

Dave Clark

635 Vestal Lane

Plainfi eld, IN 46168

3 17·839·4500


dal'ecpd@iquest."et

P.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 60033·0328

815·943·7205

dillghacMvwc.l1t't
Espie "Butch" Joyce
704 N. Regional Rd .
Greensboro, NC 27409
336·668·3650
[email protected]

St eve Keog

1002 Heather Ln.

Hartfo rd, WI 53027
262·966· 7627
sskroS@(loi.com

Robert D. "Bob" Lumley
1265 South 124th Sl.
Brookfield, WI 53005
262·782·2633
illmper@ext'cpc.com

1 A Deacon St reet

Gene Morris
5936 Steve Court

Northborough , MA 0 I 532
508·393·4775
copeiomll @;ullO.COlll

Roa n oke, TX 76262
8 17·49 1·9 1 IO
gene,[email protected]

Joh n S. Copel and

Phil Coulso n

Dean Richardson

284 15 Springbrook Dr.
Lawton , M I 49065
269·624·6490

1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughto n, W I 53589
608·877·8485
dar@apri/aire.colf1

rcollisOfIS [email protected]

Dal e A. G ustafson
7724 Shady Hills Dr.
Indianapoli s, IN 46278
3 17·293·4430
daie{[email protected]

S.H. aWes" Schmid
2359 Lefeber AVenue
Wauwatosa, WI 532 13
414·77 1· 1545
shsc!/fI/;d@lfl;!wpc.co,fI

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Ge ne Chase

E.E. " Buck" Hilbert

2 159 Ca rito n Rd .
Oshkosh , WI 54904
920·23 1·5002
[email protected]

8102 Leec h Rd .
Union, IL 60 180
8 15·923·4591
/)lIck7clc(ii>dls.net

Ronald C. Fritz
15401 Sparta Ave.
Kent C ity, MI 49J30
616·678·5012
rFrilz@pa thwaYllet.co11l

Directory


~

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Phone (920) 426-4800

Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Sites: www.vintageaircra{t.org, www.airventllre,org, www. eaa.org/memberbene(its
E-Mail: vintageaircra{[email protected]
EAA and Division Membership Services
Flying Start Program ...... . ..... 920-426-6847
800-843-3612 . ............ FAX 920-426-6761
Library Services/Research .. . ..... 920-426-4848
Monday-Friday CST)
(8:00 AM-7:00 PM
Medical Questions........ . ..... 920-426-6112
Technical Counselors ........... 920-426-6864
-New/renew memberships: EAA, Divisions
(Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warbirds),
Young Eagles .. .. ...... , .. ..... 877-806-8902
National Association of Flight Instructors
Benefits
(NAFI)
AUA Vintage Insurance Plan ..... 800-727-3823
-Address changes

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan . .. .. 866-647-4322
- Merchandise sales

Term Life and Accidental ........ 800-241-6103
-Gift memberships

Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company)
EAA Platinum VISA Card .. 800-853-5576 ext. 8884
Programs and Activities
EAA Aircraft Financing Plan .... 866-808-6040
EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory
...................... .. ... .. 732-885-6711
EAA Enterprise Rent-A-Car Program
............. . ......... ... 877-GA1-ERAC

Auto Fuel STCs .......... .. .... 920-426-4843

Editorial ....... ... , , , , .... . ... 920-426-4825

Build/restore information . ....... 920-426-4821

VAA Office ............ .... FAX 920-426-6865

Chapters: locating/organizing .... 920-426-4876

Education . . .......... ....... .. 888-322-3229

- EAA Air Academy
EAA Aviation Foundation
- EAA Scholarships
Artifact Donations ............. 920-426-48 77
Flight Advisors information ...... 920-426-6864
Financial Support ...... , ...... 800-236-1025
Flight Instructor information ..... 920-426-6801

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA

lAC

Membership in the Experimental Aircraft
ASSOCiation, Inc. is $40 for one year, includ­
ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family
membership is an additional $10 annually.
Junior Membership (under 19 years of age)
is available at $23 annually. All major credit
cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for
Foreign Postage.)

Current EAA members may join the
International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Divi­
sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS
magazine for an additional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBAT­
ICS magaZine and one year membership
in the lAC Division is available for $55
per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine
not included ) . (Add $18 for Foreign
Postage_)

EAA SPORT PILOT
Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magaZine for an additional
$20 per year.
EAA Membership and EAA SPORT
PILOT magazine is available for $40 per
year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not in­
cluded). (Add $16 for Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
Current EAA members may join the
Vintage Aircraft Association and receive
VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an ad­
ditional $36 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE
magazine and one year membership in the EAA
Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46
per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­
cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage,)

WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive
WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45
per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS maga­
z ine and one year membership in the
Warbirds Division is available for $55 per
year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not in­
cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage.)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit your remittance with a
check or draft drawn on a United States
bank payable in United States dollars. Add
required Foreign Postage amount for each
membership.

Membership dues to EM and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyright mOO7 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Associalion. All rights rese!Ved.
VI NTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062·750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Avia·

tion Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, e-mail: [email protected] . Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association WhiCh inch ,des 12 iss' 'PS of \/jotage Ajcp1ane magazine,
is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non·EM members. Pefiodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh. Wisconsin 54901 and at add~ional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Vintage Airplane.
PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903·3088. PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services. Station A. PO Box 54. Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. e-mai!: [email protected]. FOR·
EIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surtace mail. ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee

or endorse any proouct offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and wekome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertiSing so that corrective measures can be taken.
EDITORIAL POLICY: Members are encouraged to submrt slories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in artiCles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with
the contributor. No remuneration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903·3086. Phone 920·426-4800.
EM® and EM SPORT AVIATION®, the EM Logo® and Aeronautica'" are registered trademarks, trademarks, and senlice marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association , Inc. The use of these trademarks and

service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association , Inc. is strictly prohibited.

40

JUNE 2007

-=..-_tI 80'15
CONCER"

~oNO~Y' )\J\..Y

'13

presented by: Ec\\pse ~'1\at\on
n
8< ford ,",otor c.ol1\pa y